To hook a Slytherin
by SilverSinfonia
Summary: Tired of being neglected by their guys, Angelina, Alicia, Katie and a couple of Ravenclaw girls seek their revenge by plotting to get the Slytherin team to take them to the Yule Ball. Is 2 weeks enough for them to hook the Slytherins of their choice?
1. Chapter 1

"I've had it!" Angelina announced, striding angrily into the fifth year girls' dormitory in Gryffindor tower. She threw her bag onto her four-poster bed and spun around, red in the face.

"What's wrong now?" Alicia asked in alarm. The last time Angelina looked this angry was when Fred Weasley had, copying her handwriting, sent a passionate love letter to Graham Montague last year on Valentine's Day. Katie slowly edged away from the scene in case Angelina decided to hurl her books across the room as she had done when said incident occurred.

"It's that Fred-bloody-Weasley!" Angelina fumed, throwing herself down onto her bed.

"Not again?" Alicia asked incredulously. "Who did he send it to this time? Cassius Warrington?" Katie scurried back eagerly, assured that Angelina was not going to start hurling items, and burning with curiosity.

"No way." Angelina said, looking horrified. "If he had done that I would have disemboweled him!"

"You didn't disembowel him the last time." Alicia said suspiciously.

"But she did hit him with a nice Jelly-legs Jinx." Katie piped up.

"That was different." Angelina snapped. "It was horribly embarrassing but at least it wasn't insulting."

"Why not?" Alicia demanded. "They're both Slytherins!"

"Well you've got to admit Graham Montage is a hell of a lot hotter than Cassius Warrington." Angelina said calmly.

"_No he's not!_" cried Alicia indignantly.

"What's going on here?" asked a visibly confused Katie.

Alicia suddenly realized how her comment sounded. "Not…not that I'm defending Warrington or anything." She said hastily. But Angelina did not seem to have heard her. She stood up so abruptly that Alicia and Katie both jumped back.

"That's it." She announced to the room at large. "I'm going to ask Montague to the Yule Ball."

"WHAT?" Alicia and Katie both shouted, jumping to their feet as well.

"Ange, are you feeling ok?" Alicia asked anxiously.

"This _is _you, Angelina?" Katie asked suspiciously. "Not…I don't know, Pansy Parkinson after Polyjuice Potion?"

"It's me alright." Angelina said grimly. "Fifth year Gryffindor, Quidditch captain-to-be, and at the moment…" she paused while Alicia and Katie waited nervously. "…a very, very vengeful woman."

Alicia and Katie looked at each other. "I think you've just lost us here." Alicia said.

"Well, if you had let me explain myself when I first came in, instead of making wild speculations and getting us into a little disagreement over whether Montague is hotter than Warrington or not, you would understand!" Angelina shot back.

"Just so we're clear, I wasn't trying to defend Warrington!" Alicia said anxiously, looking from Angelina to Katie, apparently not hearing anything else Angelina said.

"So what's going on, Ange?" Katie demanded.

"You'd think, wouldn't you," Angelina said huffily, "that after having hung around me like a leech for close to five years, and may I add flirting not-too-subtly for most of that time, Fred Weasley would be intending to ask me to the Yule Ball?"

"Yes of course." Alicia said; it was obvious that that was the answer Angelina wanted to hear. "Did he ask you, then?"

"No he didn't! That's what got me so riled up!" Angelina cried angrily. "Here I was, thinking he was sure to ask me. For him, I rejected Alexandar Croft, Jack Hooper and Oliver, all of whom are much hotter than him. All because I didn't want to disappoint him when he did ask me. Yet here we are, two weeks away from the Ball, and he didn't say a word to me about it. So I tried to give him a little nudge in the right direction. I thought he was just too shy. Then again, when has Fred Weasley ever been shy?" she demanded of Alicia and Katie. "I was so stupid to think so!"

"No, he certainly has never been shy." Katie assured her.

"Well anyway I asked him playfully, 'Fred, are you going to ask me to the ball or not? Only if we don't discuss this with each other we might end up with mismatched dress robes on the day.' I was so sure he was going to ask me! And you know what he said?" Angelina's eyes were like slits now.

"What?" Alicia and Katie asked at the same time.

"He told me he was going with that blonde bimbo from Hufflepuff! Verity or whatever her name is!" Angelina raged. "Asked her weeks ago! And all that time I was stupidly thinking I was going with him! He didn't even bother to apologize, that stupid oaf, he just looked at me blankly and told me he was going with her!"

"That's so like a man!" Alicia cried indignantly. "They'll only look at a girl who has absolutely nothing in her head but bits of fluff. Take George. I don't know what's gotten into him, but I've seen him staring at Lavendar Brown much more than is necessary. But really, I thought Fred wasn't like that. I mean, he's been following you around like a poodle for five years!"

"Don't be so upset, Ange." Katie said consolingly. "You can still get a date, I bet there're tonnes of guys dying to go with you. In fact, I think Oliver still hasn't found a date yet. You can go take him back."

"No." Angelina said determinedly. "I'm asking no one but Graham Montague to the ball."

Alicia and Katie had forgotten about that in the midst of abusing Fred Weasley. "Angelina Johnson, are you out of your mind?" Alicia asked indignantly. "What on earth has Montague got to do with any of this?"

Angelina looked at her exasperatedly as if she was being obtuse on purpose. "Don't you see?" she asked with the air of someone explaining that one plus one equals two to a stubborn toddler. "That's the best way to get revenge on Fred. You know how much he hates Montague. I've noticed that he hits more Bludgers to Montague than to any other Chaser every match."

"You're supposed to be looking at the Quaffle, not Montague." Alicia said peevishly.

"And _you're _supposed to be looking at the Quaffle too, not Cassius Warrington!" Angelina shot back.

"I-I _never_-I've not been looking-" Alicia spluttered in protest.

"Oh, come off it." Angelina said. "I've seen how you stare at him during matches. And you keep tailing him. I know you're staring at his ass."

"I tail him because Oliver told me to mark him!" Alicia protested, finally able to get a coherent sentence out.

"Oliver told you to block him from the front so that he couldn't get the Quaffle." Angelina pointed out. "But I suppose you wouldn't do that, because that way you wouldn't be able to admire his figure!"

"Oh come now, Alicia wouldn't be staring at Warrington." Katie said mildly.

"Thanks Katie!" Alicia said in relief.

"Cos he isn't much to stare at." Katie continued. "If there's anyone worth staring at on the Slytherin quidditch team, it's Miles Bletchley."

Angelina and Alicia looked at Katie as if she'd grown a second head.

"Are...you…insane?" Alicia asked in a hushed voice.

"No I'm not." Katie said indignantly. "Can't you see how fine Bletchley is? He's so huge that he doesn't even need to move very much to block all three rings at once." she sighed dreamily.

"Please don't tell me that's the reason why you missed so many penalty shots last match." Angelina groaned.

"Only if you can tell me why you didn't stop Montague from scoring last match when you were right between him and the rings!" Katie shot back.

The three girls stared at each other for a full ten seconds.

"Ok." said Angelina, breaking into the awkward silence. "I guess we've all just admitted to being seriously attracted to three Slytherin quidditch players."

"No we have not!" Alicia protested.

"Yes we have, who are we kidding?" Angelina sighed, flopping down onto her bed. "Part of me wants to ask Montague to the Ball because I know how absolutely mad Fred would get. Imagine seeing the girl he has had a crush on for five years go to the ball with his most hated enemy, just because he lost his head for a moment over a mindless bimbo!" Angelina jumped up from her bed again, clapping her hands in glee at that glorious thought. Then she sobered up. "And another part of me, well, wants to ask him to the Ball because…" she took a deep breath. "Because he's so damn hot!" she cried, cheeks flaming.

Alicia and Katie simply stared, dumbfounded. "What?" Angelina asked defensively. "I mean, c'mon, he's a mean, bullying prat with no regards for rules at all, and yes, he has tried to knock me off my broom once or twice-"

"Twenty-three times, actually." Katie piped up. Her friends turned to stare at her. "I counted." she explained.

"Well whatever it is, I know he's an absolutely horrible, arrogant jerk." Angelina resumed. "But, girls, I'm a seventeen-year-old female with fully functional hormones. You can't possibly expect me not to notice how fine Montague is! Remember when they won against Hufflepuff last year and tore off their shirts in celebration? Gosh, Montague has got to have the finest chest in all of Hogwarts." she sighed.

"That was a wonderful day." Katie remarked happily. "I could do my washing on Bletchley's abs." She and Angelina turned to look at Alicia.

"What, is it my turn now to make a fangirlish remark on the hotness of Slytherin quidditch players?" Alicia asked nervously. Both girls continued to look at her, expectant looks on their faces. "Oh bother." Alicia muttered. "Fine then. I…um…kind of noticed that…well I mean as you said their shirts were all off and there I was in the stands, so I couldn't help but notice that…Warrington's got a very…very nice…" she took a deep breath. "…very nice back." Her cheeks were flaming red. "I mean, it _is _very toned, and um, broad and…_stop laughing, you two!_"

"Sorry." gasped Angelina as she and Katie rolled around on the floor laughing. "It's just that- oh Ali, you looked so red and embarrassed, just like a shy twelve-year-old schoolgirl admitting her first crush!"

"You two forced me to say it!" Alicia said, still red.

"It's alright, Ali." Angelina said, patting her on her back. "I completely understand. They're all arrogant, insulting jerks, every last one of them, and they've tried to maim us on the pitch more times than I can remember, but still, they're oh-so-fine."

"Well, right, that's that then." Alicia said. "Now that we're done utterly embarrassing ourselves by admitting how hot Montague, Warrington and Bletchley get us, of which I'm thoroughly ashamed by the way, can we please go down and get some lunch? I'm starving."

"For Warrington?" Katie asked innocently. "Looks like we'll have to get our lunch from the Slytherin table then. Or should I say dessert?"

Alicia glared daggers at Katie. "This is _not _getting out of this room. Especially not to George Weasley's ears."

"Oh Alicia!" Angelina cried exasperatedly. "Why do you still care what that idiot thinks of you!"

"Ange, you're getting a little confused here. We all know how much you hate Fred's guts now, but George isn't him, however alike they are." Alicia said. "He hasn't done anything to me…yet."

"Precisely. He hasn't asked you to the Ball either, has he?" Angelina asked drily.

"Well, no." Alicia admitted with a scowl. "But he _might_, you know…"

"Oh this is pathetic." Angelina snapped. "The truth is that these bloody twins have been leading us on for years. They've flirted continuously with us, but every time we try to turn it into something more serious, they scatter off like scared rabbits, and the next thing we know, they're clinging onto the skirts of some brainless bimbo. Didn't you just say so yourself a while ago that George has been after Lavendar Brown recently? In fact, he just might have asked her to the ball!"

"And their friend isn't any better." Katie piped up angrily. "I've been waiting for _ages _for Lee to ask me to the ball, or to anywhere for that matter, and he hasn't said a word. I just can't figure him out; does he like me or not? Every time I think he does, he instantly turns off and gives me that we're-just-friends look. God, they say girls are hard to understand but guys are so much harder!"

"So why the hell are we being so pathetic?" Angelina demanded. "It's time to stop waiting around for them. If they can't make up their minds, we'll help them to. I know what their problem is. They do really like us, but at the same time they want to play the field. Well, we've got to let them know that we aren't just going to hang around waiting for them to finish dating every girl in Hogwarts before settling down with us. In other words, let them know we aren't so single and available. And what better way to send this message to them than appearing at the Yule Ball on the arms of three absolutely hot and sexy quidditch players who also happen to be their most hated Slytherin rivals?" Angelina had a mischievous grin on her face now.

Alicia and Katie stared at her for a while. Then it dawned on them. "You-you aren't actually suggesting that-that we ask the Slytherin players to the ball?" Alicia asked weakly.

"That's exactly what I mean." Angelina said cunningly. "I'll ask Montague, you'll ask Warrington, and Katie'll ask Bletchley. Any Slytherin players would do, actually, but since we're going to do it, we might as well ask those we're most attracted to. They're jerks, yes, but it's only for one night and we might as well make the most of it."

There was a pause. Then…

"I'm in." Katie announced. "I'm sick of waiting for Lee."

Alicia looked out of the window, as if hoping for an answer there. Then she slowly turned around to face her friends. She took a deep breath. "I'm in too." she said at last. "I must be insane, but I'd be a horrible friend if I let the two of you do this alone."

"Excellent!" Angelina announced happily. "Well then, girls, we have two weeks to carry out our mission."

"Wow…mission." Katie said. "That makes it sound so exciting."

"Hey, it involves three Slytherins with the sexiest chests, backs and abs in all of Hogwarts." Angelina grinned. "Can it be anything but exciting?"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thanks so much __**Platinum**__, __**JJAM4JBF2**__, __**skateboard c**__ and __**Nelli-5**__ for the reviews! __ I hope that I'll be able to live up to your expectations! Sorry if this chapter isn't as funny as the previous one, and also if it's kind of repetitive of the first chapter, but I had to introduce the other girls involved in this plot somehow. The real action with the Slytherin boys will start in the next chapter, I promise! Also, do tell me if there's anything you'd like to see happen in the girls' quest, I have a few schemes in mind and I hope they're not too corny. Once again, thanks for reading! _

The three girls could barely eat their lunch in their state of excitement. It did not help matters that just ten minutes into their roast chicken and potatoes, the entire Slytherin team, including their objects of affection, strode into the Great Hall in full quidditch gear, fresh from a practice session, emerald green robes billowing behind them as they moved to the Slytherin table. Miles Bletchley pulled off his Keeper's gloves with his teeth, causing Katie to pour the jug of pumpkin juice onto a spot on the table at least a foot away from her empty glass. Alicia hastily grabbed her wrist to stop her from pouring it onto her skirt, but her hand fell as Cassius Warrington decided that his robes were too filthy for his liking, and promptly pulled both robe and shirt off.

"He can't do that in the Hall!" Angelina hissed. "Look at how Professor McGonagall is glaring at him. I bet she'd give him detention if not for the fact that Snape would probably stop her by saying he gave him permission to do so."

"Huh?" asked Alicia stupidly.

"Alicia, pull yourself together!" Katie said, poking her. Now that Bletchley's gloves were off and he had occupied himself with mundane activities such as helping himself to more potatoes the spell seemed to have broken and she had been busily wiping up the spilt juice with her napkin.

"Both of you must pull yourself together!" Angelina said. "Look at me, do I look like I'm affected by Montague?"

"That's because he hasn't taken off his robes yet." Alicia retorted, snapping out of her trance.

"Please, girls, let's not be so loud." Katie implored. "I really would rather no one else know about this…this crush."

"It's not a crush." Angelina said. "I mean, fine, we're really attracted to them, yes, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a crush." She sighed. "And remember who our real crushes are? If not for them we wouldn't even have started this idea in the first place."

"Oh Angelina, is it such a good idea after all?" Alicia moaned. "I'm getting nervous just thinking about it. I mean, I've noticed Warrington for ages, but now that I'm actually going to ask him out, I'm noticing him more than ever. Usually I can go on eating my breakfast calmly when he walks in. But see what happened just now?"

"It's alright." Angelina said soothingly. "That was different. Warrington doesn't usually come for breakfast shirtless, does he?" Alicia was rendered speechless for a few seconds at the mental image Angelina's words just conjured. "Anyway." Angelina resumed. "We can't give up now. I'll have my revenge on Fred Weasley if it's the last thing I ever do."

"But have you considered the problems?" Katie whispered. The boy-who-lived and his friends had just seated themselves near the three girls.

"What problems?" Angelina whispered back. She wasn't too eager to let Potter and his mates overhear them either.

"Like the fact that they hate us." Alicia hissed. "They try to hex us before every match. They turn up to heckle us during training. They try to knock us off our brooms during matches. There's no way in hell they're going to date us."

"That's different." Angelina explained patiently. "They behave that way towards us because they see us as quidditch rivals. When have you ever seen them going out of their way to hex us, or insult us, or basically annoy us in any way except during pre-match periods and during the match itself? They're horrible to us as rivals. It's all because they want to win so badly. Who's to say they'll hate us as love interests?"

"But Slytherins _never _date outside of their houses." Alicia said, still unconvinced.

"It's because they're worried about the purity of the blood." Angelina said, rolling her eyes. "They don't want to risk sullying their bloodline. And they know that it's much more likely that Slytherin girls would have purer blood than girls from other houses. So just to be on the safe side, they date only Slytherin girls. But c'mon, what do we have to worry about? Have you forgotten that all three of us are purebloods?"

"What are you all talking about Slytherins and purebloods for?" Ron Weasley's voice interrupted. All three girls jumped. They had forgotten that the Golden Trio was sitting next to them and unconsciously their voices had risen.

"Oh, nothing." Angelina said uneasily.

"I'd hardly think Slytherins were a worthy topic at the lunch table." Harry said, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "They make me lose my appetite."

"Then we'll take this discussion elsewhere." Angelina said shortly. "C'mon girls, let's go. You're done eating, aren't you?" Alicia and Katie mumbled in agreement, slinging their bags over their shoulders and standing up.

"Not that we were discussing them in the first place, of course." Alicia hastily added as the three girls left, leaving a very puzzled Trio behind.

"You're being too obvious, Alicia." Angelina chastised as soon as they were out of earshot. "Explaining yourself like that will only make you seem more guilty. We must behave like we don't give a damn!"

"It isn't going to remain a secret for long though." Katie said. "If we really are successful, we'll be walking into the Great Hall on the night of the Yule Ball on the arms of three Slytherins!"

"Oh, we'll keep it secret till then." Angelina said dreamily, no doubt imagining how she would look on the arm of Graham Montague. "Anyway, Alicia and I are due in Potions in five minutes."

"We'll put in a good word for you to Bletchley." Alicia said, smirking.

"Don't you dare say a word!" Katie hissed. Still smirking, Angelina and Alicia said bye to her and left for the dungeons.

"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" Katie muttered as she set off down the corridor. Not only had they persuaded her to join them in this crazy scheme, it also seemed like they would be teasing her for the rest of her life over Miles Bletchley. If she somehow managed to hook Lee Jordan at last, she was sure they would not forget to include this in their bridesmaids' speech.

_And if they failed_, Katie thought anxiously as she rounded a corner, not only would she be unable to get Lee Jordan to even look at her again, the Slytherins would also never let this go for the rest of her years at Hogwarts. They would be known as the three silliest girls in wizarding history._ Still, if doing this can make Lee finally make up his mind about me…_Katie wandered down the corridor, still wondering if jealousy would be able to provoke Lee into finally committing to her when something made her stop in her tracks. Crouched in a corner at the end of the corridor, face in her hands and obviously sobbing was the Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang. Beside her was her friend and teammate Elle Gringoirre, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, patting her on the shoulder and speaking to her in a soft, comforting way. Katie paused, uncertain. She knew Cho – she was her partner in Charms, and despite the fact that she was from a rival team, she quite liked her. It did not seem like what was going on was any of her business, but Katie was a caring person by nature. Slowly, she walked towards the two girls.

"Cho?" she asked softly. "Are you alright?" Cho continued to sob, harder than ever, and made no reply. Elle looked up.

"She-she'll be fine." Elle said, trying to smile. She continued patting Cho on the shoulder.

"I-I don't understand!" Cho cried. "How-how _could _he?"

Katie dropped to the floor beside Cho. "Cho, what's wrong?" she asked urgently, placing a hand on her shoulder too.

When Cho made no reply, Elle sighed. "It-it's guy trouble."

_Oh. _A familiar look passed between Elle and Katie; they never spoke to each other much before, but guy trouble was something every Hogwarts girl was familiar with and could relate to. Even Hermione Granger had once been spotted trying to comfort a sobbing Pansy Parkinson when Draco Malfoy had told Pansy in no uncertain terms that they could never be involved romantically.

"It sure is a bad day for romance all around." Katie muttered. Aloud, she said "I know exactly how you feel, Cho." Cho sobbed harder than ever. "No, really." Katie said hastily. She knew what she said had sounded very much like a clichéd reply which seemingly held no genuine concern, but she really did know how Cho felt, and she wanted her to know that. After all, hadn't she just gone through the same thing with Angelina and Alicia? "Look, I've been through the same thing too." she continued. "So have Angelina and Alicia. It really does seem like guys were placed upon this earth just to drive us girls insane, doesn't it?" Cho looked up at that, and nodded vigorously through her tears. Encouraged, Katie continued. "We all have felt this way at some point." She smiled in a resigned sort of way. "They make us want to kill them, to tear them to pieces, to hurt them like they hurt us…hell, they drive us so mad that we'd even go out with their Slytherin rivals just to get revenge!"

"Wh-what?" Cho asked, looking up and even stopping her crying in her surprise. Elle's eyes snapped from Cho to Katie.

"I- nothing." Katie said evasively. She couldn't believe she had actually just let that out! "It was just…you know…hypothetically speaking." she said weakly.

"Well, I wouldn't mind doing that, you know!" Cho cried, fresh tears welling up in her eyes again. "Roger Davies just-just makes me so mad! I just asked him…to go to the ball with me…yes, ridiculous isn't it? I _know _it's usually the guy who asks, but I like him so much and-and I couldn't wait anymore, so I asked him, and…do you know what he said to me?"

This was so patently familiar that Katie was struck dumb for a few seconds. What _was _wrong with Hogwarts boys? Then she realized that she had made no reply, but before she could, Cho continued. "He-he actually…_laughed_!"

"Laughed?" Katie asked in horror. That was certainly much worse than what Angelina had to suffer with Fred Weasley.

"He-he said I was just a little girl." Cho sobbed. "'Are you joking, Cho?' he asked. Then he just-just patted me on the head and left!"

Elle hastily wrapped her arm around Cho as she began crying hard again. "Please don't be so upset, Cho." she implored. "He really is a jerk, and what he said was terrible, but at least now you're saved from the trouble of liking him." Elle tried for a joke. "It really was taking up too much of your time. Maybe now you'll actually be able to finish that History of Magic essay Binns assigned last year!"

Cho replied with a watery smile. Looking much relieved, Elle smiled at Katie. "Anyway, if you're still mad a few days later, Katie here has already thought of a suitable revenge plan for you." Cho hiccoughed and smiled again, and her tears slowly stopped.

_Trust Elle to still remember that! _Katie thought wildly. Still, even in her anxiety, she could not help but notice that Elle was looking a little…could it be…annoyed? She was smiling, yes, but there was a slight edge to her voice which Katie could tell she was trying her best to disguise as she comforted Cho. As if to confirm her thoughts, Elle spoke again, in a determinedly light tone but with that slight edge, "You haven't got any particular Slytherin in mind, have you, Katie?" She smiled. "Just so Cho doesn't target the same one, you know."

Elle was just seconds away from guessing the plan. Somehow, though, something made Katie say what she said next; perhaps it was because she was feeling so sorry for Cho, whose plight seemed far worse than Angelina's, perhaps it was because she had, not long ago, been fretting about the three of them undertaking such a ridiculous idea alone. "Actually, I do."

Elle looked at her, stunned, and Cho stopped crying altogether as she stared at her in amazement as well. Katie took a deep breath. "We-we have this little idea." she said. "Angelina, Alicia and I. We-well, we've been feeling exactly the same way as Cho, actually. Fred, George and Lee are driving us nuts." She quickly outlined what each of the aforesaid boys' crimes were. "So we felt it was time for us to have our revenge on them. Let them know that we aren't always going to be available for them as and when they please. And what better way to do that than-well-getting the Slytherin quidditch players to take us to the Ball? It would drive them crazy." She laughed, trying to make it sound like the three of them had planned nothing more exciting than going to Hogsmeade to buy Butterbeer.

Cho and Elle were now looking at Katie like she was the one who was crazy. "It's nothing serious." Katie assured them. "We're just going to get them to be our dates for one night, that's all. It's not like we're, you know, actually _asking them out_. In that way."

Elle shook her head, as if trying to clear it. "You-you're really going to do that?"

"Well, yeah." Katie laughed nervously. _I know, Elle, I can't believe I'm really going to do that either. _

"So…so who are you asking?" Elle asked, determinedly casual.

Katie stared at her. Why was she acting so weird? "Miles Bletchley." she replied cautiously. "I always had a thing for him, weird I know."

Relief flooded Elle's face. Katie was puzzled, and Cho must have noticed, because she sniggered. "Elle- well, she has a thing for Marcus Flint." Cho burst into giggles as she said that.

"_Cho!_" Elle cried in alarm, crimson flooding her cheeks.

"WHAT?" Katie stared at Elle, her mouth falling open. Not only did she consider Marcus Flint the least attractive of the Slytherin qudditch players, she would never have guessed in a million years that serious and proper Elle was harbouring a secret crush on a rival team player.

"Cho Chang, I'm getting you for this." Elle muttered, looking down at her hands, face as red as the setting sun. "If you weren't feeling so miserable now…"

"Well, I feel a lot better now." Cho smiled, drying her tears with her sleeve. "Thanks, Katie."

"Anytime." Katie said, smiling quickly at Cho. She was more interested in what Cho had just told her than anything else at the moment. "Elle, are you serious? You actually like Marcus Flint?"

"I don't really _like _him." Elle protested. "I just told Cho once or twice-" she turned to Cho with a look that obviously showed that she was seriously regretting doing that now "-that he's well, quite, you know-" she waved her hand in a general direction feebly.

"-fine." Katie completed her sentence for her, being fully able to understand how she felt.

"Well, yeah." Elle said, still blushing furiously.

"She told me that just after he cornered her before the last match and warned her not to hit anymore Bludgers to him or else." Cho giggled, earning her a whack on the arm from Elle.

"Are you some kind of masochist?" Katie asked, beginning to giggle as well. "The guy threatens you and you fall for him?"

"It's not like that." Elle said defensively. "Of course I was annoyed at him for threatening me. You noticed I hit the Bludger to him more times than I ever had before after that?"

"Probably because she was eager to find out what he meant by 'or else'." Cho said significantly, and Katie burst into laughter.

"Oh, very funny." Elle said sarcastically. "But c'mon, I don't have a real crush on him, so his morals and ethics, or should I say the lack thereof, is not important. It's just that…well, when he was threatening me, I couldn't help but notice that he's so tall, he simply towers over me! And he's huge too, the largest one on the Slytherin team…"

"Well, of course, he's captain." Cho said matter-of-factly. "We all know the team chooses its players based on size."

"That's true." Katie sighed. "Damn them. That's probably what made us all fall for them."

"You haven't told us who Angelina and Alicia are asking." Cho reminded her.

"Oh…well Angelina's asking Montague, and Alicia's asking Warrington." Katie said.

"Those are far better choices than Flint." Cho said, elbowing Elle.

"No they're not." Elle said, valiantly defending Flint. "Alright, fine, I know Flint's not as handsome as Montague, I mean who is? But I've never really cared for pretty boys anyway. I like Flint as he is – tough and rugged. It makes him so manly." She smiled.

"Not as shy now, are we?" Cho teased.

"You certainly seem to be in a much better mood, seeing that you've just betrayed your best friend." Elle said. "In that case, I shan't hold back any longer – it's pay back time!" She turned to Katie. "Cho fancies Terence Higgs."

"_I do not!_" Cho protested, going pink. "Don't listen to her, Katie, she's just trying to get back at me-"

"Why, she tried out for Seeker in her second year because of him." Elle continued mercilessly. "She was dreaming of flying alongside him as they both chase after the Snitch, then letting their hands meet as they both grab the Snitch at the same time-" she was forced to break off as Cho began pelting her with her schoolbag.

Katie couldn't stop laughing as she watched. Finally, Cho stopped and Elle continued eagerly. "She was so mad when Flint dropped Higgs from the team last year! Just when she was accepted as a Seeker. You remember how Malfoy sprouted antlers on his head and warts on his face? That was Cho's work." Katie and Elle burst into laughter at the same time, and even Cho joined in after a while.

"Well, serves him right." Cho said, after they had calmed down. "That slimy little git – imagine buying his way onto the team when Terence got in with pure talent! Whereas _he _is such a rubbish Seeker – worst I ever saw."

"Very protective of your boyfriend, aren't you?" Elle teased. "I see you're on first-name terms now. Hasn't he asked you to call him Terry yet?"

Before Cho could retort, a dreamy voice said "You're not being very polite about Draco Malfoy, you know." The three girls jumped and turned around. Luna Lovegood had just appeared out of thin air and was now calmly settling herself down onto the ground next to them. They stared at each other in horror. How much had Luna heard? "He's really not that bad a Seeker. And donating those brooms shows he really cares about the team." She continued.

"Um…Luna?" Elle asked nervously, choosing to ignore her last statement. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm having Transfiguration in this classroom next period." Luna said dreamily, pointing at the classroom next to them.

"Isn't that in…" Cho checked her watch. "…forty minutes' time? Why are you here so early?"

"No one seemed to want to talk to me at the Common Room." Luna said, without a trace of sadness. In fact, she said in a very matter-of-fact manner. "So I thought I'd might as well wait here." She took out her textbook and began to read without another word.

The three girls looked at each other in a rather embarrassed way. No one ever knew quite how to handle Luna's frankness about her lack of friends. Walking away from her at this point of time was the worst thing anyone could do, but Katie was too eager to continue their discussion to spare much thought for her feelings. Still, as she got to her feet and pulled Cho and Elle away from Luna and down another corridor, she could not help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"We shouldn't have done that." Elle said guiltily. "We really should try making friends with her some time. She's actually a really nice person…and she seems very lonely however much she tries to show that she doesn't care."

"Yeah, we will." Katie said, not really hearing what Elle said. She was much too anxious to say what she had to say. "Listen…" she pulled them both into an empty classroom.

"Wh-what's going on, Katie?" Cho asked, puzzled. "Why do we have to hide from Luna?"

"We're not hiding from Luna." Katie said. "Well, yes actually we are, but it's not her in particular, I just don't want anyone else to hear us." She took a deep breath. "Listen girls. It would really really _really _mean a lot to me if you two would join us." She looked at them pleadingly.

"Join you in-what?" Elle asked, sounding as confused as Cho looked.

"Oh c'mon, what have the three of us been discussing for the past half hour?" Katie asked impatiently.

"You mean you want us to join you three in asking Slytherins to the ball?" Cho asked indignantly.

"Yes." Katie said quickly before either Cho or Elle could interrupt, which they were showing every sign of wanting to. "Don't tell me you're going with someone else, because you've just told me how horribly the guy of your dreams has just treated you, and if you're going back to him after all that, you must be crazy. And don't tell me that Slytherins repulse you, either, because from the way you two have behaved, they do anything but that to you."

Elle and Cho looked at each other for a moment. "I don't know, there're so many problems." Cho said dubiously.

"Like what?" Katie asked, all too aware that she was asking the exact same question Angelina had asked her when she tried to tell her about the problems.

"Well, has it occurred to you that they might already have dates to the ball?"

It had not. _Damn_. Katie thought wildly. Miles Bletchley might not be the most popular Slytherin on the team, but he certainly had his fair share of admirers. No doubt girls had already asked him to the ball, but there might still be a chance that he had not agreed to take any of them. After all, Slytherin wasn't famed for its beauties. With Montague, though, they would face competition beyond Slytherin girls alone. He was without doubt the handsomest boy in Slytherin, and perhaps even in Hogwarts. His haughty features and arrogant smirk were practically irresistible to female hearts. Katie was quite sure that if not for the fact that he was in Slytherin, girls from other houses would have already thrown themselves at his feet. Then she shook herself out of her thoughts. She would let Angelina worry about that. "Well, that just makes it more challenging." she said brightly. "We'll have to find a way to make them dump their dates."

Cho's expression cleared as she seemed more convinced, but Elle looked more dubious than ever. "Alright, I know you three are feeling really vengeful towards Lee and the twins right now." Elle said slowly. "And Cho does feel the same towards Davies. But have you forgotten that I'm not seeking revenge on anybody? Why on earth would I want to do this?"

"Just imagine Flint taking you to the ball." Cho said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Cho?" Elle said incredulously. "You're not actually going to do this, are you?"

"Well…" Cho said, looking torn as she looked from Katie to Elle.

"I really don't want to do this alone." Katie pleaded.

"You're not alone, aren't Angelina and Alicia doing it too?" Elle asked.

"Yes, but I'd feel a lot better if more people joined us." Katie said. "I don't think I could live it down if we failed and Bletchley put it around the school that I was head over heels for him. But I would somehow get through it if we were all in this together."

"Do it for me, Elle." Cho pleaded. "It's either this or I'll Avada Davies the next time I see him."

Elle looked from Katie to Cho. _There's no reasoning with vengeful women. What was that saying? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned._

"Looks like the Slytherin team's in for a treat then." she sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks __**crisscross332**__, __**Wetstar**__, __**JJAM4JBF2**__, __**Gemini Emerald Amethyst Malfoy**__ and __**miss molly rae**__ for the nice reviews! __ I really appreciate them! Gemini – I'm glad I decided to name her Elle then. __ Watch the next chapter for some Flint action. Anyway, I know I'm a slow updater but I had to catch up on a lot of work after the Xmas and New Year holidays. Thanks for sticking with me! Also, once again do let me know if there's anything you'd like to see! _

The girls lost no time in getting to work the very next day. Angelina had shaken Alicia and Katie awake half an hour earlier than she usually did.

"It's still early, Ange." Alicia grumbled as she pulled her blanket over her head.

"No it's not." Angelina replied briskly as she drew the curtains back from the windows, letting sunlight spill into the room. "Not when we have Slytherins to catch, anyway."

"Why would that make any difference?" Katie asked sleepily as she sat up in her bed. Angelina was behaving all too much like Oliver Wood whenever he scheduled early morning practices.

"Like I told you last night, Slytherin guys are very visual people. Besides, there's no time for letting them fall for our kindness, consideration and generosity – we only have two weeks. I don't think they'd appreciate those qualities anyway. So the key to hooking them is through our gorgeous looks." Angelina grinned. "Say hello to your make-up sets, girls. You haven't seen them since the Christmas party I threw last year." And she tossed each girl's make-up set to them.

"Isn't this overkill, Ange?" Alicia asked incredulously as she opened her own set.

"Not at all." Angelina said briskly. "Anyway, I'm not asking you to put on full make-up. Just a bit will do, to make us look better in a subtle way."

_Angelina's way too enthusiastic about this. _Katie thought as she brushed her hair. She had made no protest at all when Katie introduced Cho and Elle to her as the latest participants in their crazy scheme. In fact, she seemed positively delighted, once she had ascertained that there was no clash in their targeted Slytherins. Alicia had let out a squawk of protest when she learned that Katie had revealed their plan to others, but calmed down when both girls had admitted their attraction to the Slytherins. In an odd way, it had bonded them all; each knowing an embarrassing and potentially destructive secret about the other.

Finally, when all three girls had dressed (hiking their school skirts a bit higher than usual), brushed their hair (with more care than usual) and applied their make-up (which they had never done on a school day before), they headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

At the open doors to the Great Hall, Angelina yanked both Alicia's and Katie's arms, holding them back. Slowly, she peered into the Hall. "The whole team's down for breakfast already." she whispered ecstatically. Alicia and Katie did not need to ask which team she was referring to.

"So what do we do?" Alicia asked anxiously.

"Make it up as we go." Angelina replied, looking a little nervous herself now.

"Easy for you to say." Katie said. "You're an expert at the art of seduction."

"Never tried it out on Slytherins before, though." Angelina said, glancing into the Hall again. "C'mon, then, we're not going to achieve anything by standing out here. And for goodness' sake try to behave naturally."

The Gryffindor table was furthest from the door, with the Slytherin table conveniently wedged between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. As the three girls passed the Ravenclaw table, Cho and Elle smiled conspiratorially at them. Katie noticed that both girls were looking prettier than usual; Angelina had no doubt warned them to take more effort with their appearances as well. Cho was already known as a beauty in Hogwarts, but today she looked even more stunning than usual – something which the Ravenclaw boys had not failed to notice. Terry Boot was trying to make conversation with her, but she was determinedly ignoring him, instead her eyes were fixed on Terence Higgs at the next table. Elle on the other hand spent most of breakfast staring at her plate, and basically looking at anywhere but Marcus Flint. It seemed that she, like Alicia, had become more painfully conscious of her target ever since admitting her attraction to him.

As the three girls drew close to the Slytherin table, Angelina's posture and gait changed entirely. She drew herself to her full height, threw her chest out and walked gracefully past, running a hand through her shiny hair. Her efforts were not in vain; Graham Montague looked up from his plate and raised his eyebrows slightly, and his fork hovered in mid-air for a few seconds as he stared at her. Then he seemed to realize what he was doing, and looked away abruptly, arranging his features into his usual smirk. Alicia and Katie tried desperately to mimic Angelina, but Warrington did not turn from discussing quidditch with Flint, and Bletchley was busy bullying a couple of first-years.

"That was not bad." Angelina said, smirking in a way reminiscent of Montague as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"He only looked at you for a few seconds." Alicia said, still sore that Warrington had taken no notice of her.

"That was just my first move. But you're right, I need to get him to do more than look for a while. I'm going to have to get more physical." Angelina said, and fell to pondering what schemes she should next use.

"What are you going to do, throw yourself at him?" Alicia asked sarcastically.

"There's an idea." Angelina said happily as she helped herself to pumpkin juice.

"What shall I do?" Katie asked desperately, not listening to Angelina's and Alicia's tiff at all.

"Do about what?" Ron Weasley asked, sitting down directly opposite the girls.

_Damn him._ Katie thought furiously. Did he have to make a habit of popping up at the most inconvenient of moments?

"Is your own conversation so boring that you have to listen in on ours all the time, Ron?" Alicia asked icily.

"I just asked!" Ron said defensively. "Anyway, you girls can continue, I won't say another word."

"Ron talks too much." Hermione said, sitting beside Ron and giving him a pointed look. "Don't mind him."

Katie sighed as Harry sat down too to complete the Trio. Any further discussion on the Slytherin males was obviously impossible. From the way Angelina's brows were furrowed and Alicia's absent look as she ate, however, it was obvious that the discussion continued inside their minds. Katie wished desperately that she could perform Leglimency on Angelina and pick her brains for ideas on how best to seduce a Slytherin. Miles Bletchley was not the most unapproachable of the lot, no that would be Flint, but to Katie it made no difference. She very rarely tried to seduce anyone, let alone a Slytherin. How on earth was she going to do it?

Breakfast passed rather quietly. Angelina, Alicia and Katie did not say a word to each other, because the only thing they wanted to discuss was their mission, which they could not with the Trio sitting directly in front of them. Hermione seemed puzzled at their silence, but Ron continued wolfing down his breakfast, completely indifferent. To the girls' utter relief, Harry stood up after a while and said they had better get to Potions early before Snape found another excuse to take points off them.

As soon as the Trio had left the table and were out of earshot, Angelina turned to the other two. "I've got it." she said, her voice a little hoarse from the lack of usage throughout breakfast. "I'm going to run into him."

"You're going to what?" Alicia asked disbelievingly.

"Make like it's an accident. It's the only way I'm going to get some physical contact with him. Once that's done it'll make everything much easier."

"You aren't serious?" Katie asked. "How are you going to make it look like an accident? Say you didn't see him? No one's going to believe that. He isn't exactly hard to miss, is he, a huge hulking guy like that?"

"I'll be coming from round a corner. Of course I wouldn't be able to see him." Angelina said, standing up and smoothing her skirt.

"You're doing it now?" Katie asked in horror.

"And I'll be doubling back because of something I forgot to take." Angelina continued, paying no heed to the two girls.

"What will you be forgetting to take?" Alicia whispered in some kind of fascinated fear.

"My bag." Angelina said, thrusting her bag into Alicia's hands and walking off towards the Entrance Hall.

"She's mad." Alicia whispered. Katie looked towards the Slytherin table. Angelina seemed to have done her calculations; Montague was wiping his mouth with his napkin and Warrington was standing up, slinging his bag over his shoulder, just as Angelina disappeared through the doors. The timing was perfect for an 'accidental' collision outside the Hall.

"I think we'd better go too." Alicia said, making to stand up.

Katie grabbed her arm. "No, wait for Montague and Warrington to leave first. Have you forgotten we're holding the bag she forgot to take?"

"You're right." Alicia said, sitting down again.

Montague and Warrington were now sauntering down the aisle towards the open doors, where unbeknownst to them, undoubtedly, Angelina lay waiting. Slowly, Alicia and Katie rose from their seats and followed, making sure to keep an appropriate distance. As they passed the Ravenclaw table, Cho and Elle looked up. From their expressions, they were well aware that something was going to happen, but they wisely stayed put in their seats so as not to arouse suspicion. In any case, their quarries were still seated at the Slytherin table, talking loudly; Flint was banging his fist on the table at intervals to emphasize his points.

Montague was walking slightly ahead of Warrington. As he stepped out into the Entrance Hall, Alicia and Katie held their breath

True to her word, Angelina appeared very suddenly from the side, and ran directly into Montague. Well, 'ran' was a light way of putting it. She darted round the corner so suddenly and quickly that Montague only realized what was about to happen a split second before she hurtled straight into him, with such force that she knocked him to the ground, herself following a moment later.

Wincing, Alicia and Katie hurried to the scene quickly, in the midst of a loud stream of Montague's choicest swear words.

"Johnson, don't you watch where you're going?" Montague snapped, trying to push Angelina off him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Graham." Angelina said, still resolutely lying on top of him. Her dark hair fell over his face and she was pressing her chest into his. "I was in a great hurry."

"Ange, you forgot your bag." Alicia said quickly, stepping forward.

"As is evident." Montague snarled. "Will you please help your friend up before she breaks every bone in my body?"

"I can't get up." Angelina moaned. Alicia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped behind Angelina. Warrington moved behind Montague, such that he was directly opposite Alicia.

"You okay, mate?" he asked, a grin unfurling on his face as he stooped down. _Slytherin through and through. _Alicia thought. He seemed more amused at Montague's predicament than concerned. Then she had a sudden brainwave. While Warrington's attention was focused on Montague, Alicia quickly unbuttoned the topmost button of her blouse. _I can't believe I'm going to do this. _

"Help me up, Cassius, or I swear I'll hex you so badly that your own mother won't recognize you." Montague snarled. Chortling, Warrington stooped down and grabbed Montague under his arms. At the same time, Alicia bent to pull Angelina up.

"Up you get, Ange." she said cheerfully, and as they pulled their friends up, Warrington glanced upwards – and straight into her partially open blouse. Alicia pretended to be focused on Angelina, but she smirked as she noticed through the corner of her eye that Warrington had turned slightly purple and paused in helping Montague up for a second. Then he hastily yanked him up, and stepped away slightly, determinedly looking at anywhere but Alicia.

Montague, who had not noticed any of this, straightened his robes and turned on the girls with a nasty look. "That's Montague to you, Johnson. I don't remember being on first-name terms with you." He said threateningly.

"Everything has to start somewhere." Angelina said brightly. "I thought I'd make the first move. As much as I like your last name, it's a pity we aren't on first-name terms after knowing each other for five years."

Montague almost forgot to look deadly in his shock. She had just said that she liked his last name. She had also said that she wanted to be on first-name terms with him. And best of all (or was it worst?), she was looking at him with the expression which all Hufflepuff girls had on their faces whenever they saw Cedric Diggory.

"I-I don't care for that, Johnson." He snapped, trying to inject a note of hostility into the proceedings. "And watch where you're going next time. Eyes like that, it's no wonder you can't see the Quaffle."

"It was sweet of you to break my fall." Angelina said in a very uncharacteristic sugary voice.

Montague and Warrington both looked at her like she had just grown a second head.

"I-I don't look forward to doing it a second time, so stay out of my way." Montague shot back, though with less venom than usual; he was still unnerved at her lack of anger at his insult. He had been so used to trading insults with her in the corridors and on the pitch that this new behaviour positively terrified him. Was this some trick? Perhaps she was trying to put him out of action for their next match. Yes, that had to be it.

"Don't think that trying to maim me will better Gryffindor's chances of winning on the pitch, Johnson." He added with a sneer. There, that sounded much more like his usual self. He expected Johnson to flare up at him now, and things would be back to normal.

"I wouldn't want to do that." Angelina said innocently. "Your being away from the pitch kind of takes away all the joy of competing, you know. You sure you're ok?" So saying, she stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his arm.

Montague jumped back as if Angelina had burned him. "Just you stay away from me, Johnson, if you know what's good for you." He snapped. Then he turned abruptly and swept down the corridor, his black robes billowing behind him.

"Keep an eye on your friend, Spinnet." Warrington sneered, speaking for the first time since Alicia had none-too-innocently allowed him a view of her cleavage. "She seems to have ingested some Essence of Insanity."

"See you guys around." Alicia said cheerfully, and Warrington, looking more unnerved than ever, hurried away after Montague.

Once the two were out of earshot, the three girls collapsed into giggles. "Did you see the look on their faces?" Alicia asked, slightly out of breath.

"To think that the fearless Graham Montague could be so terrified of a girl flirting with him." Angelina sniggered, crossing her arms and looking down the corridor which Montague and Warrington had disappeared in. "If only we'd known…instead of Wood trying to jinx them before matches, we'd have done better sending them flowers and candy."

"But…while that was fun, they didn't seem very…you know, attracted." Alicia said a little dejectedly.

"Of course they're not going to show it." Angelina said dismissively with a wave of her hand. "But if Montague wasn't even the slightest bit affected by my being so close to him, he's not human. Or gay. In which case I might have to reconsider my target."

"If you say so." Alicia said, hoping that Warrington had felt something as well.

"Alicia, you should have seized that opportunity to do something too!" Angelina said. "I mean, Warrington was right there and all you could do was gawk."

"I-" Alicia started to open her mouth but changed her mind. No way was she going to tell Angelina and Katie that she had just flashed her cleavage to Cassius Warrington. "I was observing him all through breakfast." she said instead.

"As you have been doing for the past five years." Angelina said drily. "What use is that going to be?"

"I prefer to observe before I act." Alicia said in what she hoped was a dignified manner. "Gather information, you know. I've just found out that he's very partial to chocolate-flavoured cereal." She giggled at that. It was really very funny to imagine Cassius Warrington, the brutal, hulking specimen of a guy with a permanent sneer on his face, liking something like chocolate-flavoured cereal.

"Just because you saw him eating it today?" Katie asked.

"Who cares about that?" Angelina said, ignoring Katie. "Are you daft? So what if you know his favourite food? We're only _seducing _them. We don't need to know every little detail about them like some…some good little wife."

"Warrington's different." Alicia said, falling into deep thought. "I think he's a big softie at heart. And he's much more…traditional in his thinking. I'll have to go about this the romantic way. So there'll be none of this throwing myself at him." She ended with a pointed look at Angelina. At the same time, she worried that perhaps what she did earlier was too much for Warrington. Would he think badly of her?

"You two are late for class!" Katie said suddenly, breaking into Alicia's anxious thoughts. She pushed them in the direction of the History of Magic classroom. "Go on, there're more important things to do then think of Slytherins!"

"You're right." Angelina said, looking at her watch with an alarmed look. "That said, you've got a free period now, Katie. Make sure you do something about Bletchley."

"_Go!_" Katie said, giving them another shove, and determinedly trying not to blush.

Laughing, Angelina and Alicia set off for class.

Meanwhile, as the assault on Montauge was happening outside the Great Hall, something of a similar nature was happening inside it.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thanks __**Gemini Emerald Amethyst Malfoy**__, __**Freya-Rhianna**__, __**Theofficeluver**__, __**Nelli-5**__ and __**skateboard c**__ for the reviews! By the way, I know I've taken a few liberties with their ages, but it was so I could fit them all in. And Terence staying back a year is my imagination, I admit. I know Flint is supposed to have stayed back a year because JKR accidentally placed him in sixth year in the first book, but when I went to confirm it with my copy of PS, why is it that it states he's in fifth year? Did they edit it for later versions? Anyway, enough of the random stuff and on with the story! Once again thanks for reading!_

"How come they're not leaving with Montague and Warrington?" Cho whispered to Elle. "Don't they have lessons this period?"

"I don't think they care very much about lessons." Elle whispered back. "Both of them failed last year, remember?"

"You'd have thought it'd make them a bit more keen this year." Cho grumbled. "At this rate they'll make us late too."

"We could always just go." Elle pointed out. "No point sitting around watching them anyway. It's not like we can start getting pally with them here – not with most of the school watching." She tried to hide the fact that she really just wanted to avoid any contact with Marcus Flint. Listening to him threaten her before matches always made her feel faint, but at least she never had to do any talking on those occasions. All she had to do was let herself get snatched aside by him, look scared (which was quite easy, given that they were usually alone in empty classrooms or corridors, and that Flint could be very menacing when he wanted to), and then gather her voice to tell him as bravely as possible that she would hit her Bludgers anywhere she liked and that he was welcome to carry out those threats if he enjoyed being expelled. But going up to him of her own accord…trying to say something nice to him…and _of all things_…asking him to the ball…

"So Cho, what do you say?" Terry Boot's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Wha-sorry, what was that?" Cho asked, obviously not listening to him either.

"I said…well…" Terry blushed furiously. "I was wondering if…you'd like to come to the ball with me?"

Cho stared at him. Then she swung around and looked at Elle with a _what-am-I-going-to-do-now? _look. Elle was at a loss as well. She had conveniently forgotten that given her best friend's popularity, a hefty number of boys would not simply sit back and watch her ask someone else or get asked by someone else to the ball.

"Well…" Cho said, looking around wildly as if for inspiration. "I'll have to…um…think about it, if you don't mind, because I…because I…"

"Because she's already been asked by someone else." Elle finished.

Terry looked crestfallen. "Oh but I haven't agreed yet." Cho said, feeling guilty at the look on Terry's face.

Instantly, his face lit up. "So you'll go with me?" he asked eagerly.

"No, umm…like I said I'll have to think about it, so…c'mon Elle, we're late for class." Cho said desperately, yanking Elle's arm and standing up.

"Do think about it." Terry pleaded.

_Fat chance. _Elle thought with a smirk. _She wants the other Terry._

Cho laughed nervously, grabbed her goblet of pumpkin juice and drank from it to save herself from answering. Elle stepped out from her seat and Cho followed quickly.

"Quick, let's get away before he asks again." Cho muttered anxiously, walking as fast as possible with her head bent.

"Relax." Elle whispered with a glance behind her shoulder. "He's still sitting there…looking forlorn…" She turned around again. Cho was now walking so fast that she was a few paces ahead of Elle, and her head was still bent. She was also still clutching her goblet of pumpkin juice – obviously she was too disoriented from her encounter with Terry to think properly.

"Hey, Cho, you're still holding onto your – _watch out!_" Elle cried, realizing a moment too late that two other people had stepped into Cho's path, too busy talking that they did not notice her, and Cho, who also did not notice them, had walked straight into one of them, at the same time splashing the contents of her goblet onto his robes.

Elle gazed in horror as Terence Higgs spun around, livid, the front of his robes splattered with pumpkin juice, and Marcus Flint turned on them with a deadly look. Cho stood there dumbly, her hand clutching the empty goblet as she stared up at Higgs in shock. Elle hurried to her side.

"You did that on purpose, Chang." Higgs said dangerously.

"No she didn't." Elle said indignantly, seeing that Cho was too horrified to speak and forgetting completely that they were supposed to be trying to be friendly with the Slytherins. "Why on earth would she?"

"It wouldn't be the first time you've tried something funny on us." Marcus Flint snarled, turning on Elle.

At the sound of Flint's voice she remembered everything at once. Even if she had not, she had never dared to exchange verbal blows with him anyway, and in that instant she lost her voice.

Cho, on the other hand, was not affected by Flint like she was by Higgs, and his voice seemed to jolt her back to her senses like it had made Elle lose hers. "I'd like to see you name one time when we did that without your provoking us first." she said angrily.

"And are you telling me that you're so pathetic that you consider Cho spilling her drink on you as 'trying something funny'? You don't seem permanently maimed for life to me, so that would be a very lousy idea on our part to put you out of action for our next match. Oh wait, am I forgetting something? That's right, you're no longer on the team." Elle said without drawing breath. She was looking straight at Higgs and had directed the entire tirade at him.

Higgs turned red. "You actually dare-" he hissed, but Flint cut across him. "It's not up to _you _to give opinions on the way I run my team, Gringoirre." He snarled, looking at Elle. Obviously Elle was not the first person to have made snide remarks about his unwise decision to drop Higgs in favour of Draco Malfoy and seven top broomsticks, and he was still smarting from it.

"She wasn't saying anything like that, and besides it's not up to _you _either to dictate what she can or cannot say in front of you!" Cho retorted angrily.

Flint and Higgs looked momentarily confused as to why each girl was not responding to their comments directly but instead relying on the other to retort on their behalf. But before either of them could say anything else, Terry Boot had appeared onto the scene. "Leave them alone." He demanded.

Cho winced. "Terry, it's alright, I've got it under control." she said, trying not to sound ungrateful at his apparent wish to play the knight come to the rescue.

"I won't let anyone talk like that to Cho." Terry said, ignoring her.

"This is none of your business, Boot, and I advise you not to make it so unless you want me to hex you into oblivion." Higgs snapped. "And you think that that's a good way to impress Chang? God, you Ravenclaws are pathetic."

Angry noises rose from the Ravenclaw table at once from those who had been closely following the confrontation, and Michael Corner stood up and made to join in.

Cho and Elle looked around and realized that things were going to get out of hand; even Professor Flitwick was rising from the staff table and Professor Snape was watching the scene with a poisonous look.

Cho turned to Higgs quickly. "Look, Higgs, I – no Michael, go away, I can handle this, really, thanks anyway – Higgs, listen, I'm sorry, okay? It was an accident but I should have watched where I was going."

Everyone turned quiet at once. Higgs stared at Cho in amazement. Had she actually apologized? The Ravenclaws were stunned too. All other houses never apologized to Slytherins on principle, even when they really did something worth apologizing for, because the Slytherins never bothered to whenever they sabotaged their players anyway.

Cho gave Elle a _back-me-up-now! _look. Elle gave an inward sigh and turned to Higgs as well. "I'm sorry for that jibe about your not being on the team." she said a little grudgingly.

"And what about me?" Flint snarled.

Elle forced herself to look at him. "And I'm sorry to you too. You're right. It's none of my business how you run your team."

Flint stared at her in shock. It was obvious that he had not really expected her to apologize. He could tell that she had apologized to Higgs out of support for her friend, but the way she had apologized to him…it sounded almost sincere. He had always known that she was afraid of him, more so than the others were anyway, and that was why he had always chosen to target her before matches. But she had always tried to conceal her fear at the very least. Right now she didn't even seem to be trying. Yet she did not look wholly afraid either. It did seem like she really – impossible as that seemed – felt sorry.

"Well now, then, everything's settled!" The squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick broke into the awkward silence. He had just descended from the staff table and was standing next to the group. "No harm done, a simple spell will clear that up, Higgs, and when you've done that, I think you owe these two an apology as well." He looked at Higgs sternly.

Higgs looked at Flint confusedly and Flint looked right back. It was clear that both of them had no idea what the simple spell that Flitwick mentioned was.

Silently, Cho took her wand from her robes and pointed it at Higgs's robes. "_Scourgify._" she said, and the pumpkin juice vanished. Higgs looked from his robes to her, bewildered.

"Well, Mr Higgs and Mr Flint, if you could just apologize to my students we can all get to class." Flitwick said briskly.

Higgs and Flint did not seem to know what they were supposed to apologize for, but they knew better than to defy a teacher.

"Sorry." Higgs muttered, and Flint did the same after a moment's hesitation. Both were looking at a spot above the girls' heads however.

"Let's get to class." Elle muttered, and Cho nodded in agreement. Bowing slightly to Professor Flitwick, the two girls quickly left the hall. Terry Boot and Michael Corner tried to follow, but Cho and Elle had swept down the hall without another word.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, you actually had the same idea as me? You went running into Higgs?" Angelina asked.

"Yes, except that in my case it was totally accidental." Cho said, rubbing her forehead. "And unlike you, I managed to splatter his robes with pumpkin juice instead of getting close enough for him to fall under my feminine charm. Not to mention I actually proceeded to get into another verbal war with him."

"You got into a verbal war with _Flint._" Elle corrected.

"And you did the same with Higgs." Cho said dully.

"It's alright." Katie said soothingly. "I didn't achieve very much either. All I did was follow Bletchley around the corridors a little. It's hard to get close to him when he's a year above me. Oh and when he dropped his quill without realizing it I picked it up and brought it to him. He just gave me a scathing look like he always does though."

The five girls were in the Astronomy tower. They had met there after dinner to compare notes on each other's progress with the Slytherin team. Each side had heard rumours of what had transpired with the others from eyewitnesses, of which there were considerably more from the confrontation in the Great Hall.

"You didn't do anything, but at least you didn't make a right mess of things either." Cho groaned. "I just went two steps back with Higgs. He probably hates me more than he did before. And Davies was watching the whole thing too!" She looked utterly wretched.

"It was partly my fault." Elle said disconsolately. "I made him even angrier by jeering at him about being kicked off the team."

"Don't blame yourself." Cho said. "Anyway I also screwed up your chances with Flint."

"I did that myself." Elle sighed. "I should have known he was sore about people criticizing his decision to drop Higgs."

"But you didn't really criticize him." Cho said indignantly. "You were talking about _Higgs _getting kicked off. You didn't even mention Flint. If you ask me he's a great bullying prat. Fancy asking you to apologize!"

"That he is." Elle said grimly. "Don't get worried, Cho. I don't really like him so I'm not hurt. We're just doing this as part of your revenge plan, remember? I wouldn't have embarrassed myself apologizing to him otherwise."

"That's right." Angelina said encouragingly. "Don't get so depressed, girls. No one said this was going to be easy. If it was where would be the fun in that? Anyway you did something at least. Made them take notice of you in some way. You're doing better than Alicia – she hasn't done a thing – at least Katie picked up Bletchley's quill!"

When Alicia made no reply the other four turned to her. She had been curled up on a window sill since they entered the tower and had said nothing at all.

"Earth to Alicia?" Angelina yelled, and Alicia gave a start of surprise.

"Sorry?" she said.

"You haven't been listening at all." Angelina said peevishly.

"Yes I have." Alicia said absent-mindedly. Angelina sighed and shook her head in resignation.

"I hope that you're at least thinking of a plan." Katie said. "It would be too mean if we were all going all out to embarrass ourselves and you're doing nothing."

"As a matter of fact I _was _thinking of a plan." Alicia replied. "And I think I've just settled on one."

"What is it?" Cho, Elle and Katie asked eagerly, while Angelina merely looked dubious.

"I'm not going to say." Alicia said mysteriously. "But I'm off to put it into action now."

"_Now?_" Katie asked in astonishment, while Angelina looked as if she knew this plan was nothing good.

"Yep." Alicia said, getting up from the window sill. "I'll be in the kitchens. Don't worry, I know a few short cuts from hanging around the twins. I won't let Filch catch me. You all better get to bed though."

"The _kitchens?_" Cho asked, not hearing the rest of what Alicia said, nor did the rest, from the looks on their faces.

"Don't worry about me." Alicia repeated, and smiling mysteriously, she left the Tower.

* * *

"If you ask me they've all cracked." Warrington said, leaning back against his favourite armchair in the Slytherin common room and crossing his arms across his chest. To be honest he was simply amused by the whole thing. Nothing had yet happened to him, so he did not feel the need to join in his teammates' rants. Instead he watched from the side like he would an interesting show, occasionally putting in some remarks to hide his amusement. In fact he felt like they were all making too much of a fuss over the occurrences of the day. It wasn't like all these happenings were connected. And it certainly wasn't the first time people from other houses had gone out to irritate them.

"Or lost their eyes." Montague said angrily, reaching his hand over his shoulder to massage his back. It had been sore all day ever since Johnson brought him crashing to the ground. Honestly, how could a girl that agile in the air be so clumsy on the ground? He was still inclined to think that she had something up her sleeve. Why else would she speak to him in such a sweet manner?

"They can't all have been hit with a sudden fit of clumsiness on the same day." Higgs said. "I still think they're up to something."

"Oh come on, not again." Warrington said irritably. "Stop being paranoid, Terence. You sound like a girl."

"_You _tell me the reason behind their behaviour then." Higgs said, flaring up.

"Ok, first, who's 'they'?" Warrington asked, leaning forward and sketching quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "We just have a couple of isolated incidents here. Johnson rounds a corner in her hurry and goes crashing into Graham. Chang, for some reason, didn't look where she was going and crashes into you. What's the big deal? You talk as if these two things are linked or something."

"How do you know they aren't?" Higgs challenged.

"For one thing, they're from different houses. If they really had some kind of plan, they'd share it with people from their own team. For another, Johnson and Chang have never been very pally. And would they be stupid enough to do the exact same thing to you two if they really had something in mind? Besides, you're not even on the team, Terence. If they're plotting to put the Slytherin team out of action they'd do better targeting Marcus."

Flint turned around at the sound of his name. "They can't do anything to me." He snorted. "Cassius is right, stop being paranoid. Have you nothing better to do? So what if they _are _trying something funny? They're only _girls. _Are you actually scared of them?"

"I am _not _scared of them." Higgs said, seething in rage. "I don't care if they crash into me a million times." ("Speak for yourself." Montague said, still rubbing his back.) "It's just that I find them behaving very strangely. What's up with being so nice and sweet to us?"

"Oh stop it with the 'they' already." Warrington said, getting annoyed. "There's only two of them."

"There aren't." Higgs insisted. "I can't believe Elle Gringoirre actually apologized to Marcus today. I mean I'm fine with it, the more humiliation for them the better, but it's very uncharacteristic. Objectively speaking she didn't even do anything to offend him."

"Ah well, that girl has always been terrified of Marcus." Montague said, grinning.

Flint snorted and made no reply. To be honest he was confused by that as well, though he'd rather throw himself off the Astronomy Tower than let the others know that he had spent even a single thought on something which was not about Quidditch, let alone on that girl.

Why the hell did she apologize anyway? To get out of trouble, seeing that both their Heads of House were about to arrive on the scene? But that was unnecessary, because much as he hated the thought, she had indeed done nothing wrong. Despite always being afraid of him, she still managed to retort whenever he fired threats or insults at her. Today she seemed to be unable to even look at him. Then he got angry with himself. Whatever it was, he should not be wasting time thinking of a girl, let alone one from Ravenclaw. She was behaving weirdly, yes, but that could be because she had finally cracked after spending too darn long with her nose in a book. _Ravenclaws. _He thought disdainfully, and forced his attention back to the conversation.

"But still." Warrington was saying. "I don't believe there's any connection. The whole idea is stupid."

"What are you on about?" Miles Bletchley asked, yawning as he came over and settled himself onto an armchair.

"About Johnson trying to maim me this morning and Chang staining Higgs' precious new school shirt." Montague said. "Higgs is determined to see a conspiracy behind it all, but I'm more concerned with getting some ointment for my back."

"If it's that alone I wouldn't be concerned." Higgs snapped. "It's their being so apologetic about it. And from what I heard from Montague, Johnson was practically flirting with him!"

The entire group of Slytherins burst into laughter. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard, and that's saying something seeing that I hear you talk everyday, Terence." Montague said when he could speak again. "Johnson flirting with me indeed. The only reason why she'd do that would be if she had been Confounded."

He smirked to himself as he thought about what Johnson would say if she knew what she had done to him while Confounded. If that theory was true he could haunt her for the rest of her life about how she had behaved to him. How she had behaved to him…he tried not to think about how he felt when she had crashed into him. Of course the first thing he realized was that his back was hurting like hell. But that bloody Cassius had taken so long to help him up, and Spinnet seemed too stunned to pull Johnson off him, and during that awkward period when Johnson remained perched on him he couldn't help but think that, _damn, _the girl was well-endowed. Did she have to press her chest against him like that? Of course she hadn't done it on purpose, that was something only Terence would dream up, but it disturbed him all the same.

Try as he might, he couldn't banish that small voice at the back of his head which told him that she was hotter than every other girl he had been with. Her scent had driven him crazy, and for that reason he had been twice as eager to push her off him before his mind could give way to even crazier thoughts. _Damn her. _He didn't need to be thinking about her in that way. He could have any girl in Slytherin. They were all practically falling over him. He knew that they were dying to be asked to the Ball by him, and indeed he had already received countless offers, but had accepted none yet. After all there was no danger of him ending up without a date, so he could take his time to choose among them all.

"But you know, it _is _rather strange." Miles Bletchley was saying, breaking into his thoughts.

"Not you too!" Montague said at once, trying to show that his mind had not left the conversation at all.

"But Bell was behaving very strangely to me too." Bletchley said.

"What, has she been flirting with you too?" Warrington said sarcastically.

"No." replied Bletchley, rolling his eyes. "But she has been following me around the entire day. I thought it was my imagination at first, but every time I turned around there she was. And she came running after me, calling my name, just to return my quill which apparently fell out of my bag!"

"You bunch can go ahead postulating and coming up with ridiculous theories." Warrington said, getting up and walking towards the dormitories. In his opinion his teammates were the ones who had cracked. The sky would come tumbling down before girls from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw started flirting with Slytherins. Yes, he had unfortunately caught a glimpse of Spinnet's cleavage, but he hardly thought that she had allowed him to on purpose. "I'm going to bed."

Flint and Montague got up at once. They were both quite eager to show that they were not particularly disturbed by what had happened at all. Bletchley shrugged and left as well.

Finally recognizing defeat, Terence Higgs sighed and headed to the dormitories for a good long sleep to forget what happened.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Apologies for the delay in updating! Big thanks to __**Freya-Rhianna**__, __**ladymontague**__, __**Whatever-life24**__ and __**Wetstar**__ for reviewing! __**Whatever-life24**__, thanks for directing me to the forum, I've fixed the problem now. = ) _

"No, really, that's enough, thank you all so much." Alicia said, smiling as sweetly as she could. "Yes, I'm quite sure…oh well, if you insist." She accepted another tray of strawberry tarts. The two house elves who had brought it beamed at her as if she had just done them a huge favour, then whisked off to continue doing what it is house elves do. It seemed to Alicia that they never stopped working; dinner was over and yet they were still bustling all over the kitchen.

"Umm listen, thanks for all the food, but you know, that's not what I'm here for." Alicia said a little desperately as she saw a large ham being borne towards her.

"But that's what all students come here for, Miss." squeaked the house elf closest to her, looking rather worried that they might have unknowingly offended her by pressing upon her tonnes of unwanted food.

_No, that's what Fred and George Weasley come here for. _Alicia thought to herself. And speaking of George Weasley, she was supposed to be exacting vengeance on him.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I'm really grateful for all this, but I'm really here to look for Dobby." Alicia said, smiling reassuringly at the worried elf.

"Dobby?" several voices squeaked.

"Dobby is not on kitchen duty tonight, Miss." The house elf squeaked. "He is cleaning the classrooms, Miss!"

"Oh darn." Alicia muttered. "Look, when will he be back? I really need to speak to him!"

"He should be back any moment, Miss."

Just then, the kitchen door creaked open, and Alicia jumped wildly, immediately fearing the worst – perhaps one of the Professors had come to inspect the kitchens?

But no, it was only Dobby who entered, and he was set upon immediately by a group of house elves, and all of them proceeded at once to chastise him in shrill squeaks for taking so long to return, and to inform him that Miss Spinnet had been waiting for very long.

"It's alright, it's alright." Alicia said quickly before the other house elves could do anything else – she had just heard one of them suggest that they shut Dobby's ears in the oven. "Dobby, could you come aside with me for a while? I need a favour – urgently."

Dobby, looking both grateful and confused, followed Alicia to a corner of the kitchen.

"What can Dobby be doing for Miss?" Dobby squeaked, looking at Alicia with wide eyes.

"Well…" Alicia paused. She knew that Dobby believed some crazy things, but still she had to try her best to make this as believable as possible. It wasn't encouraging that even she herself found the story she had came up with rather too far-fetched. Still, she had to try. "It's actually Harry who needs a favour. I'm just passing on the message." Best to get the magic words out first. Perhaps the elf would become too ecstatic to be fully rational.

"Does Miss mean Harry Potter?" Dobby squeaked, his face instantly alight with joy.

_She did it. _"Yes, the very man." Alicia smiled.

"Name it and Dobby will do it!" the elf cried, practically hopping up and down in excitement.

Alicia was delighted. "Well you see-"

"But Miss." Dobby cut across her. "Begging your pardon, Miss, but why is Harry Potter not coming to ask Dobby himself?" The elf's eyes were wide once more.

_Damn. _Alicia lowered her head so that it was level with Dobby's ear. "Because this might get Harry into trouble." she whispered. "In case any of the elves see him coming down here…well he'd be the first suspect."

"Miss is so noble!" Dobby cried, tears swimming in his eyes. "Miss is sacrificing herself for Harry Potter, she is letting herself get into trouble instead..."

"No I'm not." Alicia said, getting very embarrassed. Goodness, elves were strange.

"Now listen." She pressed on urgently – she didn't have much time and couldn't afford to let Dobby run away with his feelings for Harry again. "Harry wants to teach the Slytherins a lesson. Especially Draco Malfoy." There, she had said the other magic words.

"Draco Malfoy is a very bad boy!" Dobby squeaked angrily.

"Yes, he is." Alicia said solemnly. "The other Slytherins don't like him either. In fact, I've heard that Marcus Flint is just waiting for an opportunity to throw him off the team. He's really regretting his decision now." Alicia stopped here to look at Dobby closely; she wondered how much the elf knew about student politics and if he could empathize with what she was saying. Dobby made no response except to open his eyes wider still (if that was at all possible), so she continued. "Anyway, Harry would like to quicken the process. I'm not sure if you know this, but the entire team is highly dependent on chocolate-flavoured cereal." She tried to look as serious as possible. She knew Dobby could be rather daft, but she was having doubts as to whether he could buy this at all. It sounded ten times more ridiculous saying it than thinking about it.

"Is true, Miss?" Dobby asked, looking a little doubtful.

Willing herself to continue, Alicia said as firmly as she could, "Of course, Dobby. Harry has been observing them closely all these years." _Rather, I've been observing Warrington closely all these years. _"They never _ever _fail to eat it before a match." _Warrington always eats a huge bowl of it on match day. It seems like it's his little pre-match ritual. _"And they got exceedingly crabby when the elves didn't serve it that day last year." _I don't think I've ever seen Warrington that angry. He hexed Creevey for accidentally looking at him! _"Plus the Slytherins have Quidditch practice tomorrow. So Harry is hoping that if the kitchens, you know, don't serve it tomorrow, Flint will get even more furious than usual. And when Malfoy plays like crap during practice like he always does, Flint will finally get angry enough to kick that little blonde git off the team. He's been meaning to for some time now, just that nothing has happened to sufficiently irritate him into a towering rage."

Dobby had been staring at Alicia wordlessly throughout this entire speech. _Oh please let him buy it. _Alicia was certain that no person, not even Luna Lovegood, could possibly believe this. No one but her knew (unless there was another girl somewhere in Hogwarts who also spent the last five years gazing at Warrington during mealtimes) that Warrington was more than a little obsessed with that particular breakfast. Certainly no one would believe that the entire team was obsessed with it. But then again, house elves all seemed a little touched in the head. Especially Dobby. And especially when Harry Potter was concerned.

"So Miss wants Dobby not to serve chocolate-flavoured cereal for breakfast tomorrow?" Dobby squeaked.

"Yes!" Alicia said with much relief. "That's exactly what I – what Harry wants!"

"Then for Harry Potter, Dobby shall do it!"

"Thank you Dobby!" Alicia cried. "Harry will, um, be so happy. But please, do not serve it to the Slytherin table only. The rest of us still want it." That part was crucial to her plan.

"That will be more difficult." Dobby squeaked. "How should Dobby explain to the other elves why Slytherin table does not get its usual breakfast?"

"Just-just say Snape is allergic to it or something, I don't care." Alicia said desperately. "Anything goes. Please Dobby, you must help m – Harry. I can't ask the other elves because they don't take orders from me, only the Professors. Only you are a free elf, Dobby, so you don't need to take orders from anyone, and you're not bound to do what the Professors say. Yet you have some say in the menu. You're the only who can help-"

"Dobby is a free elf because of Harry Potter." The elf said, talking over her. His eyes were glazed. "Dobby will do whatever Harry Potter wants, because Harry Potter is noble, valiant and bold of heart-"

"Thanks a lot, Dobby." Alicia said quickly. She was now out of bed in restricted hours and had to get back as soon as possible now that she had achieved what she wanted. There really was no time to listen to Dobby swooning over Harry, but she'd buy him ten pairs of socks to show her gratitude if all went well tomorrow. She would even remember to mismatch them first.

* * *

"Well, it seems you got back safely last night." Angelina said, yawning as she opened her eyes and looked at Alicia fussing over her make-up.

"Ange and I were waiting up for you, but we fell asleep." Katie said, turning over to lie face down on her pillow. "You took ages."

"And seeing that you got back so late, I expected to have to blast you off your bed to get you up today." Angelina said, sitting up. "And here you are awake before us!"

"Because today it's _my _turn to put my plan in action." Alicia said, smiling. She held up two lipsticks. "Which shade should I use, girls?"

"I like this new you." Angelina said decidedly as she bounded out of bed, excitement shining in her eyes. "Definitely go for the rose pink."

"You're right." Alicia said, and proceeded to apply lipstick. "Get _up, _Katie. It's Saturday. Which means there're no lessons, so we'll have time to stalk the Slytherins. _And _they're having Quidditch practice today."

"Merlin, I forgot!" Angelina yelped. "I don't believe it! And I'm supposed to have their timetables memorized!"

Alicia was beginning to enjoy herself. After having been told off by Angelina for not making a move on Warrington already, she was feeling very smug about providing them with a piece of information which they all apparently did not know about.

"Well anyway, it's a good opportunity for us." Alicia said, still smirking. "Even if we don't get to hit on them, we can at least enjoy some eye candy by sitting in the stands."

"They'd probably hex us." Katie said dubiously as she dragged herself out of bed.

"They've watched us enough times, and we've never hexed them." Alicia retorted. "It's about time we go to watch them. Anyway, they care too much about quidditch to sacrifice their precious practice time on hexing us. It would probably lead to someone belching slugs again, the hospital wing, and maybe detention. They might make some snide remarks about us when they take rests in between, but that's all. And we're more than equal to that."

"I don't think they are the kind to take rests in between." said Angelina dreamily. "They have _amazing _stamina…Montague is just _so fit_…"

"Alright, Ange, we don't need to hear that." Katie said, wincing. "Let's just go down to breakfast."

"Not with your hair in that state." Angelina said, snapping out from her reverie and proceeding to attack Katie's hair with her hairbrush.

* * *

Warrington was fuming. He could not believe this was happening. What was wrong with those darned house elves? He looked down the length of the Slytherin table in disbelief. No, it was indeed nowhere in sight. His fist curled on the table and he involuntarily let out a snarl.

"What's up, Cassius?" Montague asked, looking up with an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing." He said, gritting his teeth. If he told him what was up he could look forward to being tormented for the rest of his life by the rest of the Slytherins. _Is little Cassius missing his favourite cereal? _

"I've always said you're too much like a girl, but I didn't know it's that time of the month again." Montague said, smirking.

"Shut up." Warrington said absently. He was much too bothered to think of a suitable response to Montague. Without that cereal he just did not feel right. _Nothing. Shut up. _That's all he could manage? Damn it. Without it he couldn't think straight, he couldn't play quidditch, he couldn't come up with his usual cutting retorts. He couldn't play quidditch. _He couldn't play quidditch. _And there was practice later. Marcus did not take kindly to shoddy performances. He had sworn earlier this year that if they did not win the Cup, he was going to use every nasty hex in his repertoire (and there were indeed many) on them, and he might even consider stealing poison from Snape's stores to spike their drinks with. He had glowered at them all menacingly and said that if he was doomed to stay back another year, he was sure as hell going to use it to take another shot at the Cup. And with their first match coming up after the Yule Ball, he was getting more and more irritable with each practice. In the last one, he had threatened take the Beaters' bats and use it on them since they were making such a pathetic display of using it on the Bludgers. But no, he would let Bole and Derrick worry about that. For now, he had to…

He stood up abruptly at the Slytherin table. His teammates gave him raised eyebrows but he did not notice. Just as he was planning to get down to the kitchens and somehow wring a bowl of that cereal out of those damn house elves, he looked up unwittingly at the Gryffindor table.

_What the hell? _The table was filled with bowls of…chocolate-flavoured cereal. Yes, amongst other things, that was true, but right now Warrington had eyes only for chocolate-flavoured cereal. His fists curled again. Was this some kind of plot? What cruel trick could this be? Of all days, the cereal had to disappear from his table, and end up on the Gryffindor table? Wildly, he spun around. Yes, there they were on the Ravenclaw table, and on the Hufflepuff table as well. No doubt about it, something was afoot.

Warrington was aware that he was having the exact same strain of thought that Higgs was having last night; the same one he had scorned, in fact. But Cassius Warrington without his chocolate-flavoured cereal was not a logical man.

* * *

"It's working." Alicia said gleefully.

"What's working?" Ron asked, his mouth bulging with baked beans.

"Ronald Weasley." Angelina snapped. "If ever I hear you eavesdropping on us _one more time_-"

"Can't you sit anywhere else?" Katie snapped as well.

"Hermione, _please _take him away." Alicia moaned. It would be difficult to put her plan in action if Ron Weasley was watching on.

"Sorry, Alicia." Hermione said. "Ron, for heaven's sake, shut up. It's none of your business what they talk about."

Faced with this four-prong attack, Ron was subdued and returned meekly to his breakfast.

"So what's working?" Angelina whispered.

"Yeah, the only thing I see is Warrington looking more furious than ever." Katie whispered. "And he's behaving weirdly, too. Did you notice he's stood up and sat down again at least twice in the past five minutes? And why does he keep looking around the Hall? Slytherins usually just keep at their table."

At the word 'Slytherins' Ron looked up again, and was on the verge of making a comment when Hermione stood up and grimly yanked him from his seat. "I'll get him away, girls, don't worry." she said apologetically.

Alicia waited till Ron had been dragged, spluttering and protesting, out of earshot before continuing. "That's because I've taken his toy away." She said smugly.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Katie asked, confused.

"I've got what he wants." Alicia said, smirking more broadly than ever. "And when I finally give it to him, I'll have him eating out of my hand. Literally."

"So you're into deluding yourself now?" Angelina demanded. "If Warrington wants you so badly why hasn't he looked at you once all these years? Except when he's aiming a jinx at you, of course."

"I don't mean _that._" Alicia said irritably. "Though that might come some time in the future, you know. Anyway, girls, just watch."

"You've lost me." Angelina grumbled, returning to her plate.

"About time, too." Alicia replied. "I hate being the one in the dark all the time."

She glanced back at the Slytherin table. Warrington's back was facing her but she could tell that he was in a right state. She giggled. She was certainly discovering new things about Slytherins everyday. To think Montague would be left so wrong-footed just because Angelina bumped into him. And to think Warrington would be in such a state of anxiety just because his favourite food was missing. Oh, the possibilities. Once the Yule Ball was over, once this whole plan was over, the Gryffindor team would know exactly what to do to sabotage the Slytherin team in their next match.

Warrington was now looking up and down the table in the hope that the cereal might yet appear. Apparently it did not, from the way he was snarling. _Good job, Dobby. _Alicia thought fervently.

"What's _wrong _with you, Cassius?" Flint's snarling voice carried over to the Gryffindor table. "We have practice later and I need you to be less like a fidgety monkey if we want to win the Cup at all. And in the name of Salazar, you had better _not _be snarling at me or you'll be sorry."

"I'm not snarling at you, Marcus." Warrington muttered. Alicia smiled to herself. He was desperate now. It was time to save him from his distress. She reached for a bowl and spooned a large quantity of chocolate-flavoured cereal into it.

"Still eating?" Katie asked, looking at her in amazement. "You've already had a bowl of that earlier."

"Oh this isn't for me." Alicia said cheerfully. "Someone needs it more."

"What do you me-" Katie started to ask but Alicia had already gotten to her feet.

"I'm off to hook myself a Slytherin." Alicia said, grinning as she set off for the Slytherin table.

* * *

"And after we've practiced reverse-passing, we're going to start on the Sloth grip roll. I'm _not _going to take any more Bludgers from those damn Weasleys." Flint snapped.

"Nor from that Gringoirre girl?" Montague asked with a smirk.

"I couldn't care less what she does." Flint said coldly. "Are you even listening, Warrington? The whole point of my wanting us to do reverse-passing is because you're pathetic at forward passing and you never fail to let Spinnet take the Quaffle from you. Do your eyes disappear when she's floating in front of you? For once I want to see a successful pass to Montague. And what's more…"

Warrington gripped his head with his hands as he tuned out Flint's ramblings. He did not dare to ignore his Captain, but he really was in no mood to listen to his growling today.

"Bad morning, Cassius?" A sweet voice suddenly cut through Flint's deep, rumbling one.

Warrington's head snapped up and he found himself looking directly at Alicia Spinnet.

"Oh, so now Wood's sending spies?" Flint snapped.

Alicia ignored him. "You look out of sorts." She said ever more sweetly to Warrington.

So she had come to tease him. The problem was, he could not even think of a suitably cutting reply. "None of your business." He spat. That would have to do. Though it was something even a first year could have come up with.

"Oh well." Alicia said, shrugging. "It doesn't pay to be nice." She took her hands from behind her back, revealing a bowl from which she began to eat casually.

Warrington's eyes dropped to the bowl, and his mouth fell open. _No. It couldn't be. _His eyes snapped back up to her face, only to see her looking innocently at him, with just the faintest hint of a smirk forming on her lips.

"Why are you still hanging around, Spinnet?" Montague drawled. "Can't get enough of Warrington?"

"Is there a rule which says I can't eat my breakfast here?" Alicia asked calmly, as her spoon, filled with cereal, hovered in mid-air.

Warrington could not tolerate it any longer. "Spinnet!" he yelled, standing bolt upright.

Alicia now had to look upwards to look eye-to-eye with him – he towered over her.

"Problem, Cassius?"

"First, don't call me that." Warrington said, blood thudding through his brain. "Second…" he looked down at the bowl in her hands. "Give me that."

"Why?" Alicia asked with wide, innocent eyes. "Don't you have your own breakfast?"

"Give me that or I'll…I'll…" Warrington racked his brains to think of a suitable threat.

"Have they been starving you?" Alicia asked with mock concern, gesturing towards the other Slytherins.

"That's enough, Spinnet." Montague snapped. "Get back to your own table."

"You girls are up to something." Terence Higgs chose that moment to add in accusingly.

"Your friends don't welcome me, Cassius, dear. Looks like I'd better get back." Alicia said, and turned to go.

"No, wait!" Warrington practically yelled.

"Have you been Confounded, mate?" Bletchley asked, looking rather concerned.

"I bet that's it." Terence said at once.

"Will all of you shut up?" Warrington asked through gritted teeth. "Especially you, Higgs. Spinnet, don't you take another step away."

"I had no idea you were so drawn to me." Alicia said, beaming.

"Believe me, I have no intention of detaining you longer than is necessary. Give me that and you can scat."

"Give you what? There are, after all, lots of things I possess."

"God damn it, give me that bowl in your hands!"

"Sure, once I'm done eating. It looks like a pretty average bowl, though, Cassius. What on earth do you want with it?"

"In the name of Salazar, I swear I'll hex you if you continue playing games with me!"

"Cassius, Cassius." Alicia said soothingly. "I'm not playing games with you. Just tell me, nicely, what you want and I'll give it to you."

Warrington felt like his head was going to explode. This darned girl was making him more furious than he had ever been before. He was tempted to snatch the bowl from her without further ado, but he noticed that a few of the Professors were watching the scene closely with irritated looks.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to speak as calmly as he could. "Spinnet-" he began.

"I said _nicely._"

_Count to three. _Warrington reminded himself. "Alicia…if it would so please you…could you give…that bowl…of _cereal_…to me?" He said in measured breaths, curling his fists beneath his robes to prevent himself from shouting.

"Why, of course." Alicia said brightly. "I know how much you need it. I came specially to bring it to you." She laughed and patted him on the arm with her free hand. "I was just teasing you earlier, darling. Here you go." And she pushed the bowl gently into his hands.

Warrington felt his jaw drop. Around him, his teammates' jaws dropped as well, including Montague's, who had never looked surprised before. Save that sole encounter with Johnson. He tried desperately to kickstart his brain back into functioning mode. A million questions were running through his mind, top of which was how she even knew exactly what he needed. But asking her that was out of the question, not in front of his teammates. _I'm not your darling _sounded inanely stupid to him as well. So he settled for a vague grunt.

"I'll take that as a thanks." Alicia said cheerfully. "Enjoy your cereal, Cassius. You'll need that for quidditch later."

She had walked off and was halfway back to the Gryffindor table when she turned to face him again.

"Has anyone ever told you you're cute when you're angry?"

* * *

Up at the staff table, Professor Flitwick turned to Professor Snape. "Your students have been involved in too many confrontations in the Great Hall recently, Severus."

"On provocation by your students and Minerva's, Filius." Snape replied drily.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Phew! Slowest update so far! So sorry for the wait! Thanks __**Nelli-5**__, __**skateboard c**__ (you guys have been so faithful in reviewing my story, thanks so much!), __**shan**__ and __**danalexkayarimad**__ for the reviews! Also, thanks to __**mytoneftiger**__ for reviewing every single chapter! __**Nelli-5**__, I'll do my best to grant your request in coming chapters. ;) _

"This is a dream come true." Alicia said dreamily. She had yet to come down from cloud nine ever since the breakfast encounter with Warrington.

"If you'd been wanting to do this for so long you should have said something years ago." Angelina admonished. "I'd have come along in a jiffy."

"Well, you never said anything either." Alicia said. "I wasn't about to embarrass myself by telling you I dearly wanted to come watch the Slytherins' practice."

"It's thanks to our foolishness that we've missed out on five years' worth of eye candy." Angelina sighed with regret.

"No matter." Katie said cheerfully. "We're about to live our dream now."

"It isn't going to be that easy." Cho said nervously. "Do you think they'd actually allow us to sit here and watch them without protest?"

"Oh, there'll be protests all right." Angelina said dismissively. "But we're perfectly entitled to sit in the stands. Everyone is. If we don't heckle them they'll have no excuse to chase us away."

"Since when do Slytherins ever need excuses to do whatever they like?" Elle asked darkly.

"Like I said, they're not going to bother wasting time on us." Angelina said patiently. "They love quidditch too much to do that. In that way-" she grinned. "-they have very much in common with us."

All five girls laughed and it was hard to stop. Even Cho and Elle, the most tense of all, started to relax.

"Good seats, huh?" Angelina continued, grinning. The quidditch stands were completely empty save for the five girls, since no one had ever dared to watch the Slytherins' team practice. Even Fred and George Weasley spied from behind bushes when Wood sent them to check out the Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. Hence the five girls had settled themselves comfortably in the box meant for Dumbledore, the other Professors and the commentator. "I paid top price for them. You'll have to thank me for getting box seats for all of us. That'll be ten galleons each, please."

"Will the Minister be arriving shortly?" Alicia asked in an official voice.

"No, he got lost in his bowler hat and can't find his way out."

"The Slithering Serpents will be out any moment." Katie announced. "What do you reckon their mascots are going to be?"

"Probably the male version of Veelas." Cho sniggered.

"They really should have those, you know." Angelina sighed dreamily. "Why should the boys have all the fun?"

"Oh look, there they are!" Katie whispered, grabbing Angelina's arm and pointing. Seven bulky figures in emerald green robes had appeared from the changing rooms, each clutching a sleek and shiny broomstick, and in the case of two of them, black Beaters' Bats. The largest figure at the front had swung a heavy crate over his shoulder.

"Katie, _calm down._"

"They've noticed us!"

"You too, Elle."

Marcus Flint turned towards the stands with his usual trollish look, and slowly, so did the rest of his team.

"What are you doing here, Johnson?" Montague's resonant voice carried up to the stands.

Flint turned and glared menacingly at Montague, as if reminding him that it was not his place to ask questions.

"What _are _you doing here?" he thundered.

"Your boyfriend isn't very polite." Cho whispered to Elle.

"Do I have to report to you, Flint?" Angelina asked coldly. Then she turned her head slightly and beamed. "Hey there, Graham. Feeling better?"

The other Slytherins turned on Montague with almost accusatory looks.

"Spare me that, Johnson." Montague spat, though he looked unnerved.

"Clear off at once." Flint yelled threateningly.

Angelina turned to her friends. "C'mon girls, let's go down. It's tiring to shout." She stood up and so did the rest.

Clearly thinking that the girls had been frightened into leaving, Flint threw the crate onto the floor and kicked it open.

"Mount your brooms." He snarled and the rest of the team obeyed at once. "Bole, Derrick, use those Bats properly or I'll use them on you." He released the two black Bludgers; they shot off in opposite directions at once, and Bole and Derrick soared into the air, raising their bats in preparation. "Get up by the posts, Bletchley, or are you too thick to find your own way there?" He released the Golden Snitch. "Malfoy, if you haven't caught the Snitch at least five times by the end of practice today, not even new Firebolts can preserve your ass on this team, is that clear?" Then he scooped the Quaffle into his arms. "As for the two of you-" he started, but was distracted as from the corner of his eye, he spotted five figures walking towards them.

"What are you all still doing here?" He snarled. "No need to say goodbye, I've never held with such niceties."

"We can see that." Elle muttered.

"Gringoirre, running into you once is more than enough. Is there a need to stalk me to my team practice like a groupie?"

"Of course there is." Elle said calmly. She had to stop being afraid of him if she was to seduce him. "It's much safer to watch you during practice, when I assume you'd be too busy with the Quaffle to bother with biting my head off."

Flint's jaw dropped, making him look more gormless than ever.

"And _why _would you want to watch us?" Montague snapped, trying to save his Captain.

"Call us crazy, but we'd just love to." Angelina said smoothly, answering him instead.

"Well, I don't permit it." Flint snapped, recovering. "Are both your teams so pathetic that you've stooped to spying now? You can just go back and inform Wood and Davies that if they think this is a smart move, they've lost their minds, if they even had them to start with. If you think I'm going to allow you all to sit by here and disrupt our practice-"

"Are you all that distracted by us?" Elle interrupted.

Flint looked at her and saw her bright dark eyes staring straight back at him. It was about the first time in living memory that she had looked eye-to-eye with him without flinching and this unnerved him even more than what she said about them being distracted by the girls.

"Yeah, are you?" Angelina asked, looking sweetly at Montague.

"Hell, don't bring me into this, Johnson." Montague said in a frustrated manner. The worst part of this behaviour was not that she had never spoken to him so nicely before, but rather that he found himself getting more and more affected by it. He had no business getting affected by _anything _a Gryffindor did, least of all a Gryffindor girl, and least of all Angelina Johnson! But why was it that every time she looked at him with that bright smile of hers, and spoke to him in a – could it be? – almost flirtatious manner, he felt a sudden swooping sensation in his stomach? At the start he had felt shock, then disgust, and now it had turned into something that was a mixture of anxiety and something else he couldn't quite place. He realized that he was more worried about what the rest, especially Marcus, would think, rather than being annoyed at Johnson. Then he mentally slapped himself. _What Marcus would think? _There was _nothing _to think about in the first place.

"Hey, what's all this about?"

The whole group turned to see Terence Higgs striding towards them, and following behind him, Crabbe and Goyle.

"What are you doing here, Higgs?" Flint asked aggressively. His hostility had not abated and it was now in danger of being directed to anyone in close proximity.

"Just thought I'd come to watch practice." Higgs shrugged. "And see what a mess that Malfoy git's making of things." He added with a cold look appearing in his eye.

"Enough of this nonsense." Flint snapped. "We have practice, I booked the pitch and I won't tolerate any more disruptions! The five of you – leave at once!"

"We're not leaving." Elle said firmly. "But we're not going to disrupt practice either. We're just going to sit in the stands and watch silently, unless of course you shoot a particularly brilliant goal, at which I will clap enthusiastically. Or if Bletchley makes a particularly brilliant save, at which Katie will cheer happily."

"Elle!" Katie cried in alarm.

Angelina elbowed Katie and smiled mischievously. "That's right." She said happily. "So have fun with practice, guys. You have your very own team of cheerleaders here. It's a pity we forgot the green and silver pom-poms, huh, girls?"

The Slytherins present at once looked horrified at the thought of the existence of green and silver pom-poms, and the girls seized the opportunity of their silence to escape back to the stands.

"Wh-what the _hell _is going on – what – what are they trying to do?" Flint spluttered in rage.

"Marcus, relax." Warrington said, grabbing his arm. "If they're trying to throw us off practice we'll have to show them how unaffected we are by them. Let's just continue like usual."

"What was that all about?" Malfoy asked, as he landed smoothly on the ground beside them. "Look, Marcus, I've got the Snitch!"

Flint turned from glaring at the girls' retreating backs to face Malfoy. "I told you to catch it _five _times, you git, are you deaf or did I not speak English?" He snapped as he cuffed Malfoy about the ears. "Get back up in the air!"

It was fortunate for Malfoy that Flint was too busy fuming to hear his muttered retort, "Yeah, cos it sounded more like Troll than English."

The remaining three Slytherins kicked off into the air, and Terence, still looking somewhat puzzled, headed back to the stands, with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering behind stupidly.

Up in the teachers' box, the girls were laughing and congratulating themselves.

"Good one, Elle." Angelina said, grinning. "You actually had the guts to talk back to him. And that was a good idea too, mentioning Katie and Bletchley."

Katie put her face in her hands in mortification.

"And look, Cho, your beloved is here too." Alicia said, giggling. "Who'd have thought it?"

"Oh, how I wish he was playing." Cho sighed, looking at the stands where Terence Higgs was sitting rather than at the pitch.

"Oh well, we can't have everything in the world." Angelina said airily.

"Maybe Malfoy will meet with an accident." Cho said fervently and Katie elbowed her.

The girls turned their attention to what they had come to watch.

The Slytherin team were undoubtedly very good, though Malfoy was still not catching the Snitch as quickly as Flint would like, and Bletchley appeared to be having problems as well.

"Poor Miles." Katie sighed as Flint brought a halt to the practice once again to start shouting at Bletchley after he let in a goal by Montague.

"It's not his fault, really." Angelina said smugly. "It's just that Montague's too good."

"Oh, whatever." Alicia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You just _can't _tell when a Chaser is feinting, can you?" Flint roared. "Montague was even being a little obvious for your benefit, and still you couldn't save it? It's stupidity like this, Bletchley, that allows you to let in those goals by Bell all the time, she's the best at feinting in their team-" Flint stopped his tirade abruptly, apparently remembering that Katie Bell was in the stands at that very moment. Much as he loved to humiliate people, even his own teammates, it would not do to do it in front of a group of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. "Be more alert or else." was his parting shot before he soared away on his broom.

The girls watched as the Slytherin Chasers practiced their passing. Flint to Warrington…Warrington to Montague…Montague back to Flint…Flint hurled the Quaffle towards the goal hoops and Bletchley dived to meet it, but Flint had aimed it too well and shot it too quickly; it soared through the right hoop.

Flint seemed to be torn between berating Bletchley for letting a goal in yet again and celebrating his goal. At that moment Warrington flew past him while dodging a Bludger from Bole, and said "Good one Marcus!". Flint grinned as he caught the Quaffle which Bletchley threw back to him.

"Right, reverse-passing now. I want you all to get into the formation I took you through last session."

Warrigton steered his broom around and soared into position. He pointed his broom down and streaked towards the hoops at the opposite end of the pitch, watching Flint from the corner of his eye. The Quaffle was hurled towards him unexpectedly, but he recovered quickly and caught it with the tips of his fingers. Scooping it to his chest, he shot upwards, dodging a Bludger from Derrick, then another one from Bole…he turned abruptly to the left of the hoops and then executed a perfect pass into Montague's waiting arms. Montague shot; the Quaffle soared through the middle hoop.

"Nicely done, Cassius!" Marcus shouted from behind. Coming from Marcus, that was extravagant praise, and Warrington could not help but grin. Things had definitely taken a turn for the better since he woke up. He remembered the panic he had felt all throughout breakfast – he had been so sure he would be kicked off the team today. Marcus's nerves had mounted to its peak, and nothing short of a sterling performance during this practice could preserve his position as Chaser. Now he felt good, _really _good. So far he had executed his moves perfectly; even Marcus could not find a single criticism to make. _And it's all thanks to Spinnet. _

The moment the thought entered his mind he kicked it out at once. He had no wish to be indebted to _her. _He could have done it without her. He was just about to bully some of that cereal out of either the damned house elves or a couple of first years when she appeared. She had come to jeer at him. To watch him squirm helplessly, to be under her control! Yet why was he not as angry as he should be?

Warrington tried to force some anger out of himself. He _should _be angry. She had seen him in his most helpless state, she gave herself the pleasure of taking him out of it, and now she had come to watch his practice to witness for herself the effect she had on him. But his mind was oddly calm, a healthy adrenaline rushing through his veins.

_It's the cereal. _He told himself desperately. It had always made him feel this way, and it was only because Spinnet had been the one to provide him with it that he connected this good feeling with thoughts of her. Which he really should not be having during practice. Or any other time for that matter.

He looked up. Flint was still boasting about his successful game plan. "Even Wood could not have saved that." He said, nodding savagely at the middle hoop through which Montague had shot the Quaffle through.

Bletchley looked highly relieved that Marcus was not going to start berating him again – if Wood could not have made that save, surely he was not expected to.

Still, Flint could not be counted on to be in a good mood for long, and sure enough he rounded on Malfoy.

"What are you staring at?" he roared.

"Nothing." said a startled Malfoy. "Watching that goal, that's all."

"It wouldn't matter if we made a thousand goals." Flint thundered. "If that brat Potter catches the Snitch before you do it's over for us. Will you keep your bloody eyes on that bloody golden ball?"

Malfoy seemed to consider pointing out to Flint the mathematical error he had just made but appeared to think better of it. "Sorry." He muttered sulkily and streaked off in search of the Snitch again.

"Let's try that again with Warrington aiming for goal this time." Flint snarled.

It lasted for two and a half hours more. Flint mercilessly took his team through seven different formations, taught Bole and Derrick multiple ways of committing fouls while getting away with it, and shouted at Malfoy and Bletchley some more.

The girls did not mind at all. In fact, Angelina expressed a deep regret that it could not have gone on longer.

"Slytherin prowess at its best." Alicia sighed dreamily.

"Flint was brilliant." Elle sighed in the same tone of voice as Alicia.

"Did you see how Montague flexed his shoulders?" Angelina asked dreamily. "The way his shoulder blades moved when he passed the Quaffle…those muscles moving beneath those expensive Qudditch robes…"

"I wish Terence had played." was Cho's sulky comment.

"Oh, Warrington was so fine." Alicia sighed. "He looks _so _ferocious on the pitch, I wonder if he's as ferocious in b-"

"We don't need to hear that." Elle said at once.

"Definitely." Katie said, nodding vigorously.

"Fine." Alicia said, still grinning. "But I'll _think _it."

"I don't blame her." Angelina said. "The way Montague grunts when he-"

"All right, all right." Cho said, standing up and holding out her hands. "Keep the hormones under control, girls."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Slytherin wins the Cup this year." Alicia said, continuing with her daydreams.

"Oi!" Angelina said, snapping out of her trance and poking Alicia hard. "We're on a rival team!"

"Oh that's right." Alicia said; she had obviously forgotten everything which was non-Cassius-Warrington-related.

"Wood would murder you if he heard that." Katie giggled.

"Seriously speaking, I don't agree with you, Alicia." Elle said. "They're obviously very good, but if Bletchley and Malfoy are allowed to remain on the team, they're not going to have a very good chance of winning."

"Yeah, they should play Higgs!" Cho said at once.

"Well, that _would _be a better choice than Malfoy." Elle conceded. Her eyes followed Flint's broad back as he retreated into the changing rooms along with his teammates. She knew, or could at least make a very good guess, how much he longed to win the Cup. Their team had won the Cup before, of course, but in Flint's first year as Captain, Potter had joined the Gryffindor team and effectively prevented any further Slytherin victories. She could guess that to a guy whose ego was as huge as Marcus's, being thwarted by a little boy was intolerable. In fact, he always seemed to suffer being thwarted by those much younger and smaller than him. Malfoy, for one. If he had not bought his way onto the team, had Terence Higgs remained, Slytherin might well have won the Cup. And herself, for another. She was in the same year as both Harry and Malfoy, yet she had a knack for hitting Bludgers so well that she could even frustrate the great Marcus Flint during games.

"Well, no point hanging around now that they're gone." Cho was saying.

"You mean _Terence _is gone." Katie corrected. "The rest are still in the changing room."

"Were you planning to sneak a peek of them changing?" Cho asked irritably. "C'mon, no sense hanging around. Let's go."

"Alright." Angelina said, standing up and stretching like she had just finished watching a remarkably good movie. "We have work to catch up on anyway."

Alicia stood to follow her but Katie remained seated.

"Coming?" Alicia asked questioningly.

"N-no." Katie said. "I think I'm going to…well, wait for Bletchley to come out."

Angelina sniggered. "Very well then. Good luck!" She winked at Katie, waved cheerily at the rest and left the stands, Alicia following behind her.

"Are you going to just wait to get another gawk at him, or do you have some kind of plan?" Cho asked curiously.

"I'm not sure myself." Katie said hesitantly. "I certainly don't have a plan, but maybe I'll…try to talk to him and see how it goes?"

Cho and Elle looked highly dubious at this proposition.

"You don't just go up to a Slytherin to chat." Elle pointed out.

"I know, but…well, no harm trying." Katie said lamely.

"Alright then, best of luck." Cho said. "C'mon Elle, I need your help with my Transfiguration essay."

"I'm a year below you." Elle reminded her.

"Doesn't matter, you're almost up there with Hermione Granger where Transfiguration is concerned." Cho said swiftly. "Bye Katie!"

Katie waved as the two Ravenclaws disappeared from the stands. Then she turned her attention back to the changing rooms. No sign of the Slytherins yet. No doubt Flint was giving another of his famous lectures before the team would be allowed to shower.

She sighed. What could she do about Bletchley? She hadn't the faintest idea of what to say to him. Besides, after having performed poorly in the practice, he was sure to be in the worst of moods. It could only be exacerbated by her presence.

She continued to sit in ponderous silence for the next twenty minutes, until the doors of the changing room opened and light spilled out onto the now darkening pitch. The Slytherin team filed out in groups; first Bole and Derrick, swinging their Bats over their shoulders, then Malfoy alone, obviously sulking, followed by Flint, Montague and Warrington, apparently discussing tactics. Where was Bletchley? Katie squinted at the figures walking across the pitch and counted. Six of them. Bletchley was not there.

She ran a hand through her blonde hair. Had he already left and she had not noticed? No, that was impossible. She had seen him go in, a slumping, dejected figure in green, and she had not seen him come out. That meant he was still inside. But why?

The rest of the Slytherins did not seem to notice her. They walked up the castle steps and through the open doors, then disappeared out of sight. Katie turned her attention back to the changing rooms. Was Bletchley possibly sitting inside alone, miserable and dejected? Had he asked to be left alone? She didn't think the rest of them would object; Slytherins were never known for their caring nature. Or maybe Flint had locked him in. Katie wouldn't put it past him. Perhaps he thought it a suitable punishment.

Just when she was about to get up and attempt to break into the changing rooms, the door opened. Katie sat down again hastily. Miles Bletchley emerged, and Katie saw that he was still wearing his Quidditch robes, muddy from practice and obviously unshowered. Under his arm was the crate of balls and his broom. Katie stared. What was he doing?

Bletchley strode to the center of the pitch, then kicked the crate open. He caught the Quaffle as it flew out. Shutting the lid of the crate, he drew his wand out from within his robes, and pointed it at the Quaffle. Slowly, it levitated into the air. Then he mounted his broom and kicked off, flying towards the goal hoops.

Katie watched him; a solitary figure in green hovering before the hoops. He looked oddly lonely. It was a most unfamiliar sight for Katie, who had been used to seeing him with a huge gang of Slytherin boys, or at least with his best friend Adrian Pucey.

Bletchley had his wand out again. He pointed at the Quaffle still floating in the middle of the pitch. The scarlet ball zoomed towards him at once. He swerved his broom to the left, reached his hand out and struck the Quaffle away as it was about to enter the hoop.

He was bewitching Quaffles to fly at him. He was trying to practice Keeping on his own, desperately trying to retain his position on the team. And he was either too proud or did not dare to ask for help from Montague or Warrington. Certainly not Flint. All at once Katie felt like crying. It was ridiculously stupid to cry for a Slytherin, but she could not help it. She felt so sorry for him, needing help so desperately and yet not getting it. She also felt a sudden anger at Flint. _The tyrant. _She thought furiously. Then she made up her mind.

Slowly, she got up and left the stands. Bletchley, too focused on practicing, did not notice as she crept into the changing rooms. There, she selected a school broom. It was a Cleansweep Seven, nothing great, but it would do. It wasn't that much worse than her own broom anyway. She made her way outside with it, then mounted the broom and flew up into the air.

Bletchley had just struck the Quaffle away again. It soared back to position in the middle of the pitch, just as Katie pulled to a halt at the same place and caught the Quaffle smoothly.

Bletchley almost fell off his broom when he saw her.

"What the hell are you doing here, Bell?" he snarled when he recovered.

"Can't you Slytherins ask anything else?" Katie sighed. "Everytime we appear, we always get this. 'What the hell are you doing here?'".

"That's because you have no business here." Bletchley snapped. He turned as if to check if the other girls were present. "Why didn't you leave with your little friends?"

"I wanted to see you." Katie said honestly.

Bletchley sneered. "Yeah right." He said cuttingly. "Tell me what you're really after, then leave. I haven't got all the time in the world to waste with you."

"Fine." Katie said smoothly. She could excuse his lack of manners; on one hand she expected no less of a Slytherin, on another he must have suffered a lot at the hands of Flint. "I'm here to help you practice."

"Don't make me laugh, Bell." He sneered. "You, wanting to help me?"

"Yes." Katie said.

"What are you up to?" he demanded.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't need a reason to want to help somebody." Katie said. "Now stop being all sulky and proud. I know you need help. More specifically, my help."

"I don't need anyone's help, least of all yours!" Bletchley flung the words at her.

"Oh goodness, Slytherins and their pride." Katie groaned. "C'mon, Miles. I've been watching practice. I've seen the hard time Flint gave you. I know that he has threatened to throw you off the team unless you improve. And I don't know about you, but I think bewitching Quaffles to fly at yourself isn't a particularly good way of practicing Keeping. The Quaffle will fly straight _at _you so you're bound to save it. What you need is someone, a person, preferably a good Chaser like myself, who also happens to be the one you need to block goals from, to practice with you."

"Are you done with the sermon?" Bletchley asked drily. "I already know all of that."

"Then why do you still do this?" Katie asked, gesturing at the bewitched Quaffle in her arms.

"What choice do I have?" Bletchley bellowed. "Do you reckon I can just ask Montague or Warrington for help? They'd laugh their asses off! And Flint, yeah, he'd totally help me!"

"_I _can help you." Katie said earnestly. "And I absolutely promise that I have no ulterior motive."

"How can I believe that?" Bletchley shot back at her.

"Look at it this way, what motive can I have?" Katie asked. "What harm could practicing with me do to you?"

"You're probably trying to get used to my goal-saving style so that your team can beat mine!" Bletchley snapped.

"That works both ways, Miles." Katie retorted. "I'm letting you get used to my goal-scoring style too!"

Bletchley opened his mouth then closed it again. He seemed to have no answer to that.

"So you see, it's mutually beneficial." Katie said patiently.

Bletchley was silent. "Are you going to tell around school about this?" he snarled after a while's consideration.

"No, of course not." Katie said at once. "Do you think Wood would take kindly to this if he knew? I want it kept secret as much as you do."

Another moment of silence.

"Fine." Bletchley said curtly. He turned and flew back to the hoops. Halfway back, he turned to face her again. "Bell?" he called.

"Yeah?"

"Give me your best shot."

Katie smiled as she watched his retreating back (which was oh-so-fine). Things were looking up for her too!


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: There, a nice quick update to make up for the late one last chapter! : ) Big thanks to __**danalexkayarimad**__ and __**prith**__ for reviewing. __**Dana**__, thanks for reminding me about the other guys! I'll pop them in for upcoming chapters. And yes, each of them will eventually get some alone time with their Slytherin. ;) __**prith**__, I was considering writing a sequel dealing with the aftermath of the Ball, but I may just add in a few extra chapters after the Ball instead. I might not have enough material for a sequel. Thanks so much for the comments! And to others who reviewed my early chapters and anyone else who might be reading, do review again! : ) I want to know if I'm still holding your interest. I've never asked for reviews before but they do make my day! Once again thanks to those who're still reading! _

Katie rubbed her right shoulder, wincing. It had not felt this sore since Wood had insisted on three-hour long practices every day of the week last year. Then again, she wasn't trying nearly as hard then as she was now.

"Miles." she called, ignoring the Quaffle that was now steadily plummeting towards the ground. "Miles, we've been at it for two hours."

"What about that?" Bletchley asked smoothly. His mood was much improved now that he was performing much better than he had in practice.

"Well – I'm tired." Katie said reluctantly. She had stubbornly persisted for the past two hours, ignoring her exhaustion and forcing herself to shoot goal after goal. After all, she had to make a good impression. This alone-time with Miles Bletchley was hard to come by and she was not about to let it go to waste by having Bletchley snap that she was being no help and that they had better stop. She had put extra strength, effort and skill in every single one of her attempts at goal, more so than she ever had during practice with Wood. Wood had high demands, but nothing could be more taxing than the demands a girl placed upon herself when she was trying to impress a boy. She had learnt that from her experience with Lee Jordan and she was experiencing the same thing with Bletchley.

"If you tire so easily, Bell, then perhaps you're not suited to help me after all. Bear in mind that it was _you _who spied on me, _you _who practically begged to help me, and also _you _who-"

"Alright, alright, I get the idea." Katie said wearily. "But can't we at least – have a ten-minute break or something?"

"Pathetic." Bletchley sneered. "I expected you to be tiring me out, yet it was I who tired you out."

Katie tried her best not to think of the unholy implications of that statement. After all, she was on her broom in mid-air a hundred feet from the ground. It would not do to swoon.

"Miles." She whined. "Haven't I helped you out already? Look, in the first hour you saved about fifty percent of my goals. In the second I'd say it was at least seventy-five percent. And I even taught you how to look out for signs that I was feinting. You're saving goals that would have been sure to win points for me in the past."

"Don't look to me for rewards, Bell. I repeat, _you _were the one who-"

"I know all that, but c'mon, I'll perform better once I've had a rest." Katie wheedled. Inwardly she smirked at the thought that Miles Bletchley was requesting, no insisting, that they continue their time together and that she had to be the one to beg to be let off.

"Oh very well." Bletchley snapped. "Gryffindors." He muttered.

Katie smiled and flew back to the ground. She landed smoothly, dismounted and flopped down onto the grass. She was too tired to even make her way to the stands. Above her, Bletchley was also zooming towards the ground. She gazed awestruck at the way his Quidditch robes billowed behind him as he sped to the ground. He really cut a very impressive figure. Before she could admire any further, he landed smoothly and threw his broom aside casually. He sat down directly opposite her and began pulling his gloves off with his teeth. Katie felt her heart skip several beats. _Damn. _She never failed to be turned on by that.

"Is my face so interesting, Bell?" Bletchley asked, raising one eyebrow as he looked at her quizzically.

"Well…" Katie blushed and found herself rendered speechless. Why couldn't she say something witty like Angelina?

"Stare away, I know you can't help it." Bletchley said, an arrogant smirk forming on his face.

"Don't be stupid." She said quickly, and her faced glowed like the setting sun.

"Tell me, what are you and your friends really up to?"

"Nothing!" Katie protested at once. Damn, she sounded so stupid. And did they really suspect something?

"We Slytherins are not stupid." Bletchley sneered. He rose to his knees and moved closer to her. Bending down so that his face was only a foot away from hers, he continued. "You've been using every excuse to get close to us. Now you're even offering to help me. And why did you pick up my quill in the hallway yesterday?"

"Well, you dropped it." Katie replied lamely. Her brain was totally not in functioning mode. He was so close to her. His palms were placed on either side of her, just next to her knees, and when he bent down she could see the silver chain he wore beneath his Quidditch robes, and just a glimpse of that chest…

She quickly snapped her eyes back up before her thoughts ran wild again. Not a good idea. His hazel eyes were gazing questioningly at her with such intensity she felt like they were burning her face. His hair was tousled from flying, and sweat streaked his face. She felt like she was shaking from head to foot.

"Get away from me, Bletchley!" she yelped suddenly, and pushed away from him at once. Her heart was beating wildly as she got to her feet.

Miles Bletchley smirked as he too got to his feet. "I knew it." He said triumphantly.

"Knew – what?" she panted. She tried her best to calm her racing heartbeat.

"You, Miss Bell, are obviously turned on by me." Bletchley said, smirking, as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yes, I mean _no_! No, I'm not." Katie said wildly.

"I pride myself on knowing when a girl is turned on by me." Bletchley said arrogantly. "It's not very hard to tell."

"I-" Katie spluttered.

"Well, I know the reason behind your odd behavior now, at least." Bletchley said. "I didn't think that this would be a Quidditch tactic. A very poor one, even for Wood. Yet you really did not seem to be up to no good. The only answer then-" he smirked. "-is that you're attracted to me. That quip by your friend Gringoirre and how you reacted just now proves that."

Well, he got one thing right.

"Miles-" she began.

"Unfortunately I haven't got time to waste with groupies." Bletchley cut across her smoothly. "I have plenty of those. Still-" he glanced at her appraisingly. "-you're of use to me. You're willing to help me with practice, which I must admit is much more useful than sighing and swooning all over me like the others do. So-" he concluded. "-I'll humour you. You'll get to spend time with me, I might even reward you with a smile." He turned on her with a look which was much more reminiscent of a smirk than a genuine smile.

Katie was at a loss for words. Well, he certainly thought highly of himself, didn't he! Normally she would be insulted at the thought of herself as a groupie, but she calmly reminded herself that he was, after all, a Slytherin and therefore a jerk. A very hot one, yes, but nevertheless a jerk. It was to be expected. And if tolerating his behavior would eventually result in success for her, then she simply had to deal with it.

"Fine." She said resignedly. "You _are_ one fine specimen. I couldn't help myself."

Bletchley seemed to swell with pride at that. "Get up then, and let's go practice. You'll need to work hard if you want your reward."

Katie made up her mind that that reward was going to be a date for the Yule Ball. Or else.

* * *

Sunday came. There were no lessons, nor Quidditch practices, so there appeared to be very few opportunities for the girls to do any Slytherin-hooking. And since Slytherins spent most of their time in their common room or on the Quidditch pitch, the girls barely caught a glimpse of them. Around mid-day, Cho and Elle retired to the library to catch up on school work, despite Angelina's repeated admonishments that the library was the last place in Hogwarts they could hope to glimpse the Slytherins in.

"We're Ravenclaws, we can't help it." was Elle's explanation before Cho whisked her off from under Angelina's death glare.

"Well, we'll have to do it ourselves then." Angelina said sulkily as she watched Cho and Elle disappear down the corridor.

"Oh come on." Alicia sighed. "We've done enough for now. From the way Montague was looking at you when we watched their practice yesterday, I think you've really made an impression on him."

"Besides, what can we do?" Katie asked. "Storm into their common room?"

"Let's just go to the library and join Cho and Elle." Alicia suggested. "My potions essay is still undone."

"No library." Angelina said sourly. "There's no way in hell that the Slytherins are going to be there."

"What, so our lives revolve around the Slytherins now?" Alicia demanded as she and Katie followed Angelina back to the Gryffindor common room.

But Angelina was wrong. Elle was searching the bookshelves for _Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean _when Marcus Flint appeared before her. Both pairs of eyes widened at the sight of the other, and as usual it was Flint who recovered first.

"Why do you keep turning up, Gringoirre?" Flint sneered.

Elle would have liked to ask the same of him, but instead she said drily, "You know that this is the likeliest of places for me to turn up in, Marcus. If you wanted to avoid seeing me you could have."

Flint sneered again. "Damn right you are. Don't you Ravenclaws do anything but study in the library?"

"How else do we get our reputation for intelligence?"

"If you ask me all this hanging around the library is what made you all touched in the heads."

"You're doing it yourself today, Flint." Elle pointed out.

"I assure you, this is the last place I want to be in." Flint snarled. "If not for-" He cut off abruptly.

"It's your NEWTs, isn't it?" Elle asked softly.

"None of your business." Flint snapped. Without another word he turned and strode off abruptly.

Elle sighed. She should have known he hated to be seen in a weak state, in a less than perfect light. But the stress of repeating his NEWTs must be really getting to him. Marcus Flint would never be caught dead in the library otherwise. Slowly she emerged from behind the bookshelf. From far, she saw Flint stalking out of the library, Higgs following at his heels. Was he really so affected by her that he would give up his study session in the library just because she had riled him up? No, he was probably just going back to the common room to study. Where there would be no pesky little Ravenclaws to bother him.

"Did you see Higgs?" Elle asked Cho as she sat at their table.

"No!" said Cho, looking up at once. "Where is he?"

"Left. With Flint." Elle sighed.

"What the heck are they doing in the library?"

"They're both repeating their NEWTs. That's probably a strong enough motivation to get even them into the library."

"Higgs is so untouchable." Cho grumbled. "Every time I look at him he gives me the most suspicious glare. He's onto us."

"It'll work out fine." was the only reply Elle could think of.

"Where's that book you were looking for anyway?"

"I forgot all about it." Elle sighed. "We're supposed to be messing with the Slytherins' minds, yet they're messing with ours."

"Don't forget our motivation." Cho said, glaring fiercely at Roger Davies at another table with a curvy blonde, who was giggling as Roger placed an arm around her.

"Cho, just ignore that jerk."

"I can't! Look at him, sitting right in front of me, flaunting that bimbo-"

"Cho." Elle took her friend's hand. "He's really not worth it. Just calm down and think of how he'll react when you walk into the Ball with Higgs."

"Yeah…yeah, that's right." Cho said, calming down. She cast another glance at Roger and the blonde. "Is she more beautiful than me?" she asked anxiously.

"No, of course not." Elle said reassuringly. "Look, her figure's nowhere near as good as yours."

"That's right." Cho said forcefully and turned her attention back to the open book in front of her.

Elle watched her friend cautiously. There was a steely glint in her eye which she had not seen before. She sighed inwardly. That prick Roger Davies had really affected her. It was going to make team practices very awkward indeed.

Cho continued to glare at Davies and his girl every now and then for the next half hour. Elle doubted very much if she made any progress with her work at all.

"Cho." she whispered as Cho looked up for the umpteenth time with a look as if she was contemplating hexing Roger. "Just think of Terence Higgs and be calm."

As if right on cue, the doors of the library opened and Terence Higgs reappeared, striding in with a handful of books under his arm. He was, however, without Flint this time.

"Obviously he can't study in the common room." Cho muttered. "The Slytherins aren't the type to study, are they?"

"No, they sure aren't." Elle muttered back. She felt rather disappointed that Flint had not come as well. Was he really avoiding her?

"Elle!" Cho cried out suddenly, causing several students and an irate Madam Pince to stare at them both.

"What?" Elle asked in alarm.

"I've got an idea!"

"What is it?"

"Just wait here! And-" Cho lowered her voice. "Don't let Higgs get away."

"What do you mean, don't let Higgs get away?" Elle demanded in a whisper. "How can I stop him from leaving if he wants to?"

"I don't care, think of something!" With that parting shot, Cho left the library in a flurry.

"Cho Chang!" Elle hissed after her to no avail. She sighed. "Slytherins are going to drive me crazy." she muttered. Whatever Cho was up to, it did not sound like it could be anything good. But she would probably be back soon and Elle could find out what that was all about. Trying to put all thoughts of Slytherins, especially Marcus Flint, out of her mind, she ploughed on with her essay.

It wasn't till ten minutes later that Cho returned. Her face was flushed with excitement and there was a gleam in her eye.

"Do you mind telling me what you're up to?" Elle whispered. It really was very alarming to watch her best friend go from deadly glares to radiant smiles in a flash.

"If Higgs plays nice, I won't have to use this." Cho said grimly. "We'll see how it goes."

"Use _what?_"

"Can't tell you yet." Cho said mysteriously. "Now wish me luck. Oh, and I would so appreciate it if you could get Davies out of the way for a while. I don't want him watching in case this fails."

"Cho-" Elle began but before she could finish, Cho had got to her feet and was making her way briskly over to Higgs' table. "The things you do for your friends." Elle muttered frustratedly. It seemed like she would have to abandon her essay for the time being. Swiftly, she got up and moved to Roger's table.

As Elle blabbered something incoherent about wanting to discuss Quidditch tactics and almost bodily dragging Roger from his seat when he seemed reluctant to leave his blonde, Cho sat down smoothly next to Terence Higgs.

"Hi there, Terence." she said casually as Elle shoved Davies out through the library doors.

Terence Higgs looked up with a start. "Chang, don't you have your own table?" he hissed.

"I do, but it's no fun sitting alone. Elle just left with Davies."

"And I am the only suitable alternative companion you can find in this damn place?" Higgs snapped.

"The most satisfactory replacement, yes."

"Go away, Chang. I can't help you with Transfiguration and I don't want to even if I could. And I have no time to waste with idle chatter. Basically, there's no reason for us to continue sitting by each other."

"I wanted to talk to you." Cho insisted.

"Didn't I just say I had no time to waste with idle chatter?"

"I was watching practice yesterday." Cho said, ignoring him completely.

"I know that full well." Higgs said testily. "I was – in the stands – also." He said this very stiffly. Cho guessed that he was still stinging badly from his sacking. He probably much preferred to spend the Slytherin practice session soaring in the air on a broom, and not in the stands like her – a mere spectator. She decided that this would be the best approach to get in his good graces.

"Malfoy was making a right mess of things." She said smoothly. "Flint sure was unhappy with him."

"Flint will never admit he made a mistake." Higgs snapped. "He's too proud for that." He still sounded very angry, but Cho found it encouraging that his anger was now directed to Flint, instead of at her. It was like the two of them were, for that moment, briefly united against Flint.

"That's Flint for you." Cho said eagerly. All the better to continue such emotions. "If you ask me-" she pressed on. "-_you'd _make a much better Seeker. Flint really should take you back onto the team."

Terence was now getting suspicious. Much as he wanted to roar in agreement with her words, he was nevertheless not so obtuse as to believe that she earnestly thought well of him and wanted the best for him. "Chang, what the hell are you playing at?"

"Wha-?" Cho was surprised. What a drastic change! And they said girls were unpredictable.

"Look, I don't need your false sympathy." Higgs said fiercely. "I don't know what you're trying to achieve by pretending to be so concerned about me. What I do know is that it can be nothing good. I don't buy it at all. You and your friends – you're up to something, I know you are. I just can't imagine what-"

"Damn it, Higgs, I'm trying to be nice!" Cho cried out in frustration.

Madam Pince was at their table in a trice. "Miss Chang, Mr Higgs, lower your volume at once or I'll throw you out! This happens to be a library, not a Quidditch pitch for you to conduct your shouting matches!"

"Sorry." Cho muttered. Higgs merely growled. Madam Pince threw another threatening look at the pair of them before bustling off.

"Chang, I really haven't got time to waste with you and your nonsense." Higgs hissed in a low voice. "I came here to study. I have no intention of spending a ninth year in Hogwarts." He got up swiftly and disappeared behind the bookshelves, apparently in search of a reference book.

Cho was incensed. She felt like grabbing Higgs by the front of his robes and smashing his head onto the table. What a ridiculously stubborn boy! Was it really so hard to believe that she genuinely wanted to be nice to him? Well yes, she did have an ulterior motive, but it was hardly nefarious. Countless guys would jump at the chance to be her date for the Ball.

"Terence Higgs, you forced me to do this." she muttered. Reaching inside her robes, she pulled out a tiny pink bottle – something she got from Zonko's joke shop during her last trip to Hogsmeade. Elle had asked her what on earth she wanted to do with that potion. She had, Elle pointed out, absolutely no need for it. But Cho thought it might be worth a few laughs, so she had happily paid ten sickles for it. And now she was glad she had.

Slowly, she reached for Higgs' water bottle, which was placed conveniently on their table. She unscrewed the cap of the bottle, then opened the tiny pink bottle. Casting a quick glance around the library to make sure no one was looking, she poured half of the bottle's contents into the water bottle. Then she stowed the tiny bottle back into her robes, re-capped Higgs' bottle and replaced it in its original position. Pulling her book back to her, she tried to assume a normal expression.

Higgs reappeared a minute later, laden with books. Cho's eyes went wide when she saw him. Who'd have thought that Terence Higgs could be so hardworking?

"Chang, really, will you stop staring at me?" Higgs said, sighing heavily. "It's really very distracting and I can't afford to be distracted."

"Is that why you won't be nice to me?" Cho asked, smiling.

"No, that's not what I mea- oh nevermind." Higgs snapped. "Just you stay away from me, Chang." He turned away determinedly. He could _not _look at her shining eyes with those ridiculously long lashes. There was no way he could study after seeing her face like that. She was altogether too distracting for her own good, and she probably knew it too. And she was using it on him. They were up to something, no doubt about that. Even Warrington was less eager to throw cold water on his theory now, after that breakfast encounter with Spinnet.

"That does it, either one of you must leave!" Madam Pince snarled, swooping down on them once more. "I can hear your discussion from over at my desk!"

Higgs stood up eagerly. It was the perfect opportunity to leave. "I'll go, Madam Pince." he said graciously. "Perhaps I'll do better studying in my common room after all."

"Don't forget your water bottle." Cho called.

Higgs gritted his teeth and snatched his bottle from the table. Like he needed any reminding by her to take his own possessions! "Don't mother me, Chang." he snapped before leaving the library hurriedly.

Cho sighed. Well, if she still hadn't made an impression on him, she was sure that little drink would. She got up and returned to her original table. No point hanging around. They had borrowed all the reference books they needed and their work with Slytherins was done for the day. She packed up her things and Elle's as well, then swiftly made her way out.

"Really, Elle, I'm familiar with that game plan already." Davies was saying. "You've gone through it with me about three times already. Don't worry, you're doing fine. Just keep doing what you always do with that Bat, and we'll win-"

"Oh!" Elle said, spotting Cho and audibly sighing in relief. "Well, thanks for going through it again with me, Roger. Gotta go!"

She hurried to Cho, who turned her nose up and stalked past Davies like he was invisible. Elle waited till they were a safe distance away before asking, "Are you going to tell me what that was all about? It's a good thing you came out when you did, I couldn't detain Davies for much longer!"

"Thanks, Elle." Cho said gratefully. "You did great. I've done what I needed to do with Terence."

"Which is?" Elle demanded.

"You'll see tomorrow." Cho said, smiling mysteriously.

"I hate it when you and Alicia go all mysterious on us." Elle said sulkily.

Cho laughed and patted her friend on her back. "Elle, when you get a plan, you'll understand. They'd sound so ridiculous if we said them out loud. It's better to watch them unfold."

"Oh very well." Elle sighed. Thank goodness the Ball was just twelve days away. Or not. She still had no idea what to do about the problem that was Marcus Flint.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Wow, you guys really responded to my request for more reviews! Thanks __**prith**__, __**danalexkayarimad**__, __**xhpduhx**__, __**nightDREAMERms**__, __**skateboard c**__ and __**Nelli-5**__ for all the reviews! __**nightDREAMERms**__, thank you very much for the insightful review, and I'm relieved that you think this didn't turn out to be an OOC story. I'm trying my best to make it sound believable, but sometimes I find it hard to believe myself. And I had a look at my summary again and I realized you're right, but unfortunately I can't think of an alternative summary. Do you think it would be more effective to use quotes from the story? I've seen some stories do that. __**Nelli-5**__, thanks so much for saying it could be a manual! Kind of ironic that in real life, I'm clueless about how to get a guy. XD One last thing, if anyone's wondering why I've been updating so quickly these days, it's because school will be starting in a couple of weeks and I'm afraid I won't have time to update then. Lol anyway on with the story!_

Marcus Flint was in a towering temper. Well, he usually was more often than not, but today he was in a worse rage than ever.

"What the hell is wrong with you, you fucking imbecile!" he roared. His temper was the shortest in the morning, and it did not need to be tested before he had even had breakfast.

The object of his abuse, Terence Higgs, looked up with glazed eyes. "Marcus." he said in a pleading tone. "Help me." He held his arms out to the enraged captain.

"Let go of me, Higgs!" Flint snapped as Terence grabbed his arm in desperation.

"I can't – I can't stand it!"

"Can't stand _what, _you idiot?"

"My heart, it – it hurts so badly, I think it's breaking, I must see her, I can't live without her-"

"If this is your idea of an early April Fool's joke, Higgs, it's a very poor one indeed. Don't think that annoying the hell out of me is going to get you back on the team. _Stop touching me!_"

Terence Higgs bounded out of his bed on which he had been kneeling. "Marcus, why won't you understand! I need her. Stop calling her a joke!"

"Who the hell are you even referring to?" Flint roared. What was wrong with the guy? He seemed perfectly fine when he returned from the library last night. He had grumbled a bit about not being able to study properly, yes, but he had changed into his night clothes, took a swig from his water bottle, and gone to sleep as usual. Now he had woken up a blabbering twit.

"The most beautiful girl in Hogwarts, Aphrodite herself, the most perfect angel I have ever laid eyes on-"

"Stop it, Higgs. You're no Graham-freaking-Montague. Such lines sound simply lame coming from you."

"It's not lame!" Higgs shouted. "I won't let you call her that!"

Flint stared. Not only had Higgs shouted at him for the first time in his life, he had also made no sense at all. What the heck had happened to him? It had to be some trick, but he couldn't have been hexed because he was fine just before going to sleep. Flint slowly reasoned that something must have taken effect while he was asleep. Perhaps Bole and Derrick had hexed him then as a joke. Well, he didn't think it was very funny.

Throwing Higgs' clinging hands off him, he strode to the door of their dormitory and threw it open. "BOLE! DERRICK! GET YOUR ASSES HERE AT ONCE!" he shouted into the common room. He slammed the door and strode back in. Higgs was now busy conjuring red roses out of thin air and arranging them in a bouquet, murmuring to himself under his breath.

Flint had no experience with removing hexes. In his opinion everything could be solved by a good beating. He took Higgs by the shoulders and shook him hard. "Snap out of it, you idiot!" he bellowed.

"I love her." Higgs breathed. There was a manic gleam in his eye and he was grinning broadly. "I'm going to tell her that. Come with me, Marcus. I need your support. Otherwise I might melt before her, the moment I see her eyes which shine like the stars at night, her cheeks which have the flush they stole from the sunset, her lips which are as red as the roses of paradise-"

Marcus Flint gave up. Any man who could fit 'stars', 'sunset' and 'roses' in the same sentence was, as far as he was concerned, no acquaintance or concern of his.

Conveniently, Bole and Derrick lumbered into the room at that moment.

"Did I just hear Higgs say 'roses of paradise'?" Bole asked, looking confused.

"You sure as hell did." Flint growled. "Exactly what have the two of you done to him? He's behaving like he just swallowed Babbling Beverage."

"Nothing, Marcus." Derrick said, looking alarmed. "Why would we?"

"Then what the hell is wrong with him?" Flint roared in frustration.

"No idea." said Bole, staring at Higgs, who was now applying gel to his auburn hair and checking his reflection in his pocket mirror.

Higgs turned to look at them. "Do you reckon I look handsome enough for her?" he asked anxiously.

"I'm going down to breakfast." Flint stated. He had lost all patience with Higgs. No way was he going to be caught walking down to the Great Hall in the company of a guy who put gel on his hair. "The two of you, either do something about him or lock him up in the dorm. He'll ruin the name of Slytherin if he goes down to breakfast in that state."

"NO!" Higgs roared, making all three Slytherins jump. "I _must _go down to breakfast! She's there – I must see her – if I don't I shall kill myself!"

Flint looked like he was eager to fulfill that particular wish of Higgs'.

"Marcus, do you think he's in love?" Bole asked worriedly.

"If that's how people behave when they're in love I never want to be in love." Flint bellowed. "I don't care what you do with him anymore. Perhaps a good Crucio would bring him to his senses. If that doesn't work just Avada him and be done with it." So saying, Flint slammed his way out of the dormitory.

Bole and Derrick looked nervously at each other, then at Higgs who was now pointing his wand at the wall behind his bed, making words appear there.

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_My world is beautiful_

_Only when it has you_

_

* * *

_"Hey, Angel." Fred Weasley said, grinning as he sat down next to Angelina. "Haven't seen you all weekend!"

Angelina looked up at Alicia who was sitting opposite her. "When's the next Hogsmeade trip?" she asked.

Alicia had to stifle a giggle. "Next Wednesday, I think."

"Oh good, we can buy our dress robes for the Ball then."

"Um, Ange?" Fred asked a little uncertainly. "Did you hear me?"

"By the way, I spent so long on that Potions essay last night, Snape had better not fail me again." Angelina said to Alicia.

"Ah, don't worry. He won't have an excuse to this time."

"Well, you know how gits are, they never change." Angelina said loudly.

Fred was cottoning on by now. "C'mon, Ange, what have I done?"

"The best thing you can do with such people," Angelina continued. "is to completely ignore them. Your life will be much happier."

Fred grabbed Angelina's arm. "Angelina! I hate having you mad at me. Tell me what's wrong."

Angelina shook his hand off and turned on him with an icy glare. "What do you want, Weasley?"

"Whoa." Fred said, backing away a little and holding his hands up. "Ange, you're being scary."

George Weasley, who had been observing this scene with an uncertain look on his face, turned to Alicia. "Ali, what's wrong with your friend?" he asked in a rather audible whisper.

"Ange, who let the dogs out?" Alicia asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Fred turned on her. "Ok, what's wrong? You and Angelina are treating me and George like the plague."

Alicia, who was not quite as good at subtle snide remarks like Angelina, turned on Fred angrily. "Which is what you two are!"

Fred opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment a ditzy-looking Hufflepuff girl threw her arms around Fred from behind. "Freddie!" she cried. "I missed you, honey!"

"Perfectly understandable, Verity." Fred said, grinning as he turned around to kiss the girl.

Angelina slammed her goblet onto the table with much more force than was necessary.

Fred wasn't slow. He turned to look at Angelina, realization dawning on his face. "Verity, baby, go back to your table. We'll talk later, ok?"

"Freddie, I only just came!" Verity said, pouting.

"It's alright, now, I promise I'll show you a good time during break." Fred said, winking.

Verity smiled coquettishly, then flounced back to the Hufflepuff table.

"C'mon, Alicia." Angelina said loudly, standing up and swinging her schoolbag around her shoulder violently, hitting Fred squarely in the head in the process.

"Ow!"

Angelina turned as if to leave, elbowing Fred in the face as she did so.

"Ouch! Angelina, wait!" Fred grabbed her arm to stop it from hitting him again.

"Get lost, Fred Weasley!" Angelina shouted.

"Ange." Fred gave her what he clearly thought was a winning smile. "I get it all now."

"You don't get anything, Fred, nothing." Alicia said viciously. "And the same goes for you!" she snapped at George.

"You're jealous." George said, grinning like his twin.

"Eat slugs, the both of you." Alicia said furiously.

"Ange, Alicia." Fred said soothingly. "Don't worry. Verity and Lavendar are nothing to me and George. We're just going to the Ball together, that's all. Just a few laughs. Sorry we can't take you this time."

Alicia looked simply livid. "I don't give a damn, you jerks!" she shouted. "Take whoever you want! Angelina and I don't _need _you guys!"

"Of course." George said, trying to calm her down. "Pretty girls like yourselves will never lack dates for the Ball. Fred and I knew you would not be left on the shelf, that's why we agreed to take Verity and Lavendar. Goodness, is that why you girls have been ignoring us all weekend?"

"_Left on the shelf?_" Alicia whispered furiously. She looked like she might combust any moment.

"Alicia." Angelina interrupted. "We won't waste our breath on these two bastards any further." She was looking very dignified and stately given the situation. "Let's go to the Ravenclaw table."

Alicia nodded, still breathing heavily. The two girls left the Gryffindor table as quickly as possible, avoiding the stares of the other Gryffindors watching them closely.

"I told you." Katie said significantly as the two girls sat down opposite her, Cho and Elle on the Ravenclaw table. "That's why I sat here straightaway. I know that if I were to see Lee, I would never be able to keep my temper under wraps."

"Well, he isn't even there." Angelina said, glaring at the twins' backs. "Those two jerks were, though."

"He's probably having a private breakfast in some corner with some headless bimbo." Katie said murderously.

"At least you don't have to take classes with him." Alicia groaned. "Ange and I are still stuck with the twins! We managed to get away with ignoring them on Friday, but they didn't even seem to notice. Now that they know we _are _jealous about their dates, they'll never let us hear the end of it."

"I hate guys." Cho said gloomily, stabbing at her sausage with her fork.

Elle, the only girl who had yet to be a scorned lover, wisely kept quiet. She looked across at the Slytherin table. Strangely, Marcus Flint was alone today. Montague and Warrington were there, yes, but where was Higgs, his best friend? And those two goons, Bole and Derrick? Perhaps they had decided to keep a safe distance from Flint – he looked absolutely furious today. She wondered if it was such a good idea to get together with a guy whose temper was as bad as that.

Then she saw Flint look up, and an even more murderous look entered his eye, if that was even possible. Frowning, she turned and followed Flint's line of sight. Her eyes fell on Terence Higgs, who was looking as if he had just been whacked on the head with a Bludger. His eyes were disoriented and glazed, he was smiling stupidly, and he could barely walk if not for the support of Bole and Derrick on either side of him. _What the hell?_

"Cho, look at Higgs." Elle whispered.

Cho turned around and saw the Slytherin trio. To Elle's surprise, she grinned. "Oh, this is going to be so good." she whispered gleefully.

Elle remembered then that Cho was supposed to have done something to him. "Cho, what did you do to him?"

"I simply gave him a little nudge in the right direction."

"But why is he looking and behaving like that?" Elle asked, slightly alarmed. Bole and Derrick were trying to drag him to the Slytherin table, but he was resisting fervently, and appeared to be looking for something, craning his neck to look around the Great Hall. He was also shouting something, but they were too far to hear what exactly it was.

"It isn't a lasting effect, don't worry about it." Cho said airily. "Relax, Elle."

Elle warily returned to her breakfast. As Bole and Derrick dragged Higgs past the Ravenclaw table, his words became audible to the girls. "Where is she?" Higgs was shouting. "Are you hiding her from me?"

Bole and Derrick looked extremely exasperated. "Who the hell are you talking about, mate?" Bole asked. "We aren't hiding anyone, I can assure you that."

"Someone must have Confounded him." Derrick muttered.

Cho looked up, smiling. Higgs' head was swiveling wildly, still looking around the Hall desperately when his eyes met Cho's.

Instantly, his eyes shone, and he looked as if he had been hit by a ray of light. His face was alight with excitement and happiness, and he smiled as if all his wishes had come true at once. With surprising strength, he shook both Bole and Derrick off at once. Both of them stepped back, confused. Just moments ago Higgs had been walking like a drunken man, unable to take a single step without clutching onto something. Now he was standing erect, the glazed look was gone from his eyes and a sharp focus had entered them instead.

Squaring his shoulders, Terence Higgs threw his chest out and walked straight towards the Ravenclaw table – straight at Cho Chang.

Angelina, Alicia, Katie and Elle stared dumbstruck as he stopped right before Cho.

"Cho." he whispered, so carefully as if he was afraid the word might break if he spoke it too roughly.

"Good morning, Terence." Cho said, smiling.

"You-you know my name?" Terence asked, in a strangled sort of voice. He looked as if he was about to burst with joy.

"Of course." Cho said lightly. "Now what do you want?"

And to everyone's utter shock, Terence Higgs fell to his knees.

"What are you doing?" Katie cried, aghast.

Terence ignored her. Smoothly, he whipped a bouquet of red roses out from nowhere. Holding it up to Cho, he proceeded to proclaim at the top of his voice, "Cho, this cannot go on any longer! I find that without you, without your beautiful presence, I am unable to eat, unable to sleep, unable to do anything but think of you! Allow me to tell you how ardently I love you. Say that you will be mine and make me the happiest wizard in the world. If you do not accept me I shall throw myself off the topmost tower, and my ghost shall haunt Hogwarts for all eternity, bemoaning my rejection."

There was an immediate silence as the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables gaped at the scene. Most of the Gryffindor table at the far end had not heard Terence's speech, but they had stopped talking to turn and see what had caused the sudden silence. Every jaw had dropped.

When Elle had managed to recover her senses, she stared at her friend in horror. What the heck had Cho done to him? Considering that she was the one who had caused this, she was playing her part very well. Cho was blushing lightly, her eyes cast down, letting her eyelashes graze her cheeks.

"Why, Terence." she said softly. "I had no idea you felt so strongly about me."

There was a bang as Roger Davies stood up, slamming his fist onto the table. "Terence Higgs." he said threateningly. "One more amorous word to Cho and I'll make you sorry you ever lived."

Marcus Flint appeared on the scene, impressively flanked by Bole and Derrick. "And another word from you, Davies, and I'll make you rue the day you were born." he snarled.

Davies whipped around. "So you were the one who sent Higgs to spout nonsense to Cho? I knew you liked tactics, Flint, but I never guessed that you would stoop to asking your Seeker to seduce mine!"

"First of all, he's not my Seeker anymore." Flint snarled. "And now that you've spoken, Davies, I'm certain that it was you who hexed Higgs to make him behave in this insane way!"

Professors Snape and Flitwick had by this time descended from the staff table.

"Put it away, Davies." Snape snapped, for Roger had whipped his wand out and was pointing it at Flint. "Ten points from Ravenclaw."

"Really now!" Flitwick squeaked. "What is with all these confrontations between Slytherin and Ravenclaw?"

"It was he who started it!" Davies yelled, pointing at Terence, who was still on his knees, staring vacantly at Cho and apparently not taking in a word.

Cho stood up at once. "Nothing's going on!" she cried. "Roger Davies, when I want you to interfere, I'll tell you." She turned to the two professors. "Sir, you saw what happened. Terence had merely come over to talk to me. Davies started picking a fight without any provocation."

Roger Davies' jaw dropped open. "Cho, for Merlin's sake, I was trying to help you! Why are you siding with a Slytherin?"

"I do _not _need your help." Cho said coldly. "I can talk to Terence on my own, you need not fear for my safety."

"Higgs." Snape said. "Stand up this instance and tell me what is going on."

To Elle's utter surprise, Terence Higgs stood up calmly and in a voice which sounded very much like his usual, said "Sir, I merely came over to confess my feelings of deep attraction to Miss Chang. I have no wish to pick a fight."

So he was talking perfectly normally now? He looked and sounded sane. In fact, he was behaving exactly like his usual self, save the fact that he was acting like he was in love with Cho. Elle simply could not understand what her friend had done to him.

Snape looked highly dubious with regards to Higgs' statement. "Mr Higgs, I certainly hope you're not trying to get smart with me." he said dangerously.

"No, sir, of course not." Higgs said, once again perfectly normally.

"All the same, ten points from Slytherin." squeaked Professor Flitwick. "Mr Flint, I don't want to see you picking fights again." Everyone present knew that Flitwick was asking for a near miracle, but nobody said a word and Flint merely growled menacingly.

"Everybody back to your seats." Snape barked. "Higgs, Davies, Flint, don't let me see such absurd behavior again. Miss Chang, learn to keep your love life, interesting as it may be, to yourself rather than put it on display in the Great Hall."

Cho would have dearly loved to point out that it had been Higgs (although undoubtedly she had been the root cause of his behavior) who had put his feelings on display instead of her. But no one ever contradicts Severus Snape, so she wisely kept quiet and nodded.

Both professors returned to the staff table, still looking slightly unnerved. In their time they had handled multiple incidents of misbehavior, but neither knew quite what to do with an unexpected declaration of love in the Great Hall. There were a few moments of silence as everybody present digested the scene, before the Great Hall exploded in talk at the same time. There were those who had suspected that magic must be afoot when Higgs had initially made his declaration, but his perfectly sane behavior as he answered Snape made everyone certain at once that he was himself, and very much in love with the Ravenclaw Seeker. Around the hall groups of people at once put their heads together to discuss this juicy news.

As if the noise had been the trigger for Higgs to stop behaving normally, he lapsed at once into his original state. The dreamy expression returned, and he fell to his knees once again. "Cho." he whispered. "Do you really mean to accept me?"

Bound by Professor Snape's order, Flint remained at his seat along with Bole, Derrick and the rest of the Slytherins, but he nevertheless continued to stare murderously at the sight of Higgs on his knees once again.

Cho smiled, and checked from the corner of her eye that Roger Davies was watching. "Terence, let's discuss this later. Not in front of everyone."

"No!" Higgs said loudly, causing everyone in the vicinity to whip around at once, eager for more excitement. "I care not if everyone is watching! I have declared my love once and I will do it again if necessary! You _must _accept me!"

Elle almost wanted to bury her face in her hands. If not for the few sweet-tongued Romeos in Hogwarts who from time to time liked to employ such lines, no one would have believed that Terence Higgs was not under a spell. "Cho." she whispered. "If you wanted to make him love you, could you at least make him say something which is actually believable?"

"Elle, I'll explain later." Cho whispered back. Aloud, she said, "I'll think about it."

Just as Terence was on the verge of making another speech, the bell signaling the end of breakfast distinctly rang, and all over the Hall people stood up to get ready for class.

"There's the bell." Katie and Elle said at the same time, both obviously relieved. Elle grabbed Cho firmly by the arm and yanked her up. Angelina and Alicia gathered their things quickly and waited for the rest to do the same. Terence Higgs, however, was still obstructing their way.

"I will not give up, Cho." he said, in thrillingly romantic tones. "If I have to camp outside your dormitory day and night, I will do so."

"And if you do that, I'll do things to you which they have not found cures for yet." came a snarl from behind them.

Everyone turned to see Marcus Flint looking livid, the rest of the Slytherins behind him. He gave Montague and Warrington a meaningful look; both came up on either side of Terence and grabbed an arm each. Despite Terence's protests and continued fervent declarations of love, the Slytherin duo then proceeded to drag him out of the Hall.

Flint looked like he had something to say as well, but Angelina and Alicia firmly grabbed the other three girls and dragged them away before another confrontation could start and more points could be lost for all of their houses.

Once they were safely out of the hall, Angelina shoved them all into an empty classroom.

"Ange, we have to get to class." Cho said.

"Not till fifteen minutes later." Angelina said firmly. "No excuses, Cho Chang. Now tell me, what did you do to Higgs?"

"I know what she did." Alicia said. She looked at Cho square in the eye. "You gave him a love potion, didn't you?"

Angelina sighed. "Cho, that's all wrong. I know we're supposed to be seducing them, to get them to take us to the ball. And I know you're anxious to have your revenge, because believe me, I feel the same. But you can't go putting love potions into people's drinks! You do know they're banned at Hogwarts? This is more than just points or detention, you could be expelled!"

"You were really lucky the professors didn't suspect anything." Alicia said, shaking her head.

"Come to think of it, why didn't they suspect anything?" Katie asked. "Snape was there, he knows all about potions."

"He doesn't know about _love _potions." Cho said irritably. "Does Snape look like he has ever brewed up one before?"

"He could have done it in academic interests." Katie pointed out.

"Even if he does know about the typical love potions, like Amortentia, he won't know about this one." Cho said.

"So you _are _admitting you used a love potion on Higgs?" Angelina asked, scowling.

"Yeah, I did." Cho said, looking down.

"Cho, how could you!" Katie cried.

"I was desperate, ok?" Cho said, and she did look very desperate. "You don't know how frustrating it is, you have all made some kind of progress with the rest of them. But Higgs is so damn suspicious that he won't even look at me. He's so freaking untouchable that it's unbelievable. And – and Davies – he really makes me _so mad _that I was willing to do anything to get back at him."

"But Cho," Angelina said. "Forgetting for a while that it's wrong to spike anybody with a love potion, how do you expect this to help with your plan? The effects will wear off after a while – unless you were planning to repeatedly spike his drink up till the Ball?"

Elle answered for her friend. "She didn't think so far ahead. She did it to get back at Davies, not as part of her plan."

The three girls rounded on Elle indignantly. "Were you in on this as well?" Katie asked incredulously.

"No." Elle said. "But I guessed. I was with Cho when she bought that potion. It was during the last Hogsmeade trip."

"Let me see that potion." Angelina said, curiosity giving in.

Cho wordlessly retrieved the tiny pink bottle from her robes and handed it to Angelina. Angelina took it and began to read out loud from the label.

"_Always thought it funny to see the effects of a love potion on your friend but can't do it because of pesky school rules? Zonko's has the answer. This new brand of potion is guaranteed to induce the most amusing reactions from the drinker, but will wear off at once in the presence of authority figures, allowing the mischief-maker (that's you!) to escape detection. So grab one bottle and try it out today!_"

Angelina looked at Cho in disbelief. "So that's why Higgs behaved normally in front of Snape and Flitwick." she said. "Cho Chang – I really can't believe you! What use is him running amok with the effects of a love potion? He'll probably be angrier than ever once it wears off! And the rest of the Slytherins will realize what's going on."

"Drop it." Elle said, noticing Cho's dejected look. "Come on, we'll all be late for class."

Cho pocketed the bottle as Angelina, Alicia and Katie filed out of the classroom.

"Oh well," Cho sighed to Elle. "At least it gave me a few laughs."

* * *

The effects of the potion did not wear off all day. Cho would step out of the classroom after every class to find herself being presented with bouquets of roses and poems which were apparently composed by Higgs himself, and which he recited to her at the top of his voice and in the most dramatic of tones. The other Slytherins had abandoned him completely; obviously none of them were eager to be associated with a guy who recited poetry. By now, almost the entire school knew that Terence Higgs was in love with Cho Chang, but it was still fiercely debated if it had been caused by a love potion or not, and names of the possible culprit were being thrown around. It seemed like half the population felt it was most likely to be Marcus Flint, for all he pretended to be so angry – it seemed exactly the sort of thing he would do as a cruel joke. Some also considered the Weasley twins, who spent more time in Zonko's than in class, and who also spent more time devising pranks (which were more often than not targeted at the Slytherins) than studying.

Katie, who was in the same year as Cho, would find herself at the centre of attention as well as she moved from class to class with Cho. "Cho." she hissed. "Exactly how long is this potion meant to last?"

"I only gave him enough to last for a day. Still, I didn't expect the effects to be so overwhelming." Cho said, grinning in a satisfied sort of way.

"What are you so pleased about?" Katie demanded, as they both hurried down the stairs as fast as possible to avoid Higgs, who was valiantly fighting his way through the crowd and shouting Cho's name.

"Well on one hand, it'll make Davies more jealous than ever. On another, it's proof that he actually likes me."

"No, he doesn't." Katie snapped. "He's under the influence of a love potion!"

"Yes, but the more the guy is initially attracted to a girl, the more extreme the effects the potion will have on him." Cho explained patiently. "He's behaving in a completely insane way now. Even if people have guessed by now that he's been spiked with love potion, they'll know that Terence Higgs has already fancied me with or without the potion."

"Well, good on you." Katie said dubiously.

Before she could say anything else to Cho, a bulky figure appeared before her, effectively driving all thoughts out of her mind.

"Miles!" she said in shock.

"Bell, come with me." Miles Bletchley snapped, and without another word turned sharply and walked off.

Katie obeyed, telling Cho to go on without her, and followed Bletchley into an alcove. Bletchley leaned against the wall, crossing his arms across his chest. Katie started talking at once, "Miles, I have no idea what Cho did to Higgs at all, and I had nothing to do with it, I promise, I wouldn't dream of-"

"I'm not interested in that at all, Bell." Bletchley said smoothly, cutting her off. "Higgs has nothing to do with me, he's not even on the team. I don't care for what Chang has in mind with regards to him."

"Don't-don't you find it strange at all?" Katie asked curiously.

"I haven't got the time or energy to delve into the mind of a sixteen-year-old girl." Bletchley replied coolly. "And besides, I always knew Ravenclaws were insane. Not as insane as Gryffindors, of course, but nevertheless, they've spent too long studying to think straight anymore."

Katie forced herself to ignore the slight on her house and girls of her age.

"Anyway." Bletchley continued. "I'm more interested in preserving my position on the team. Are you or are you not going to practice with me tonight?"

"You want me to help you again?" Katie asked delightedly, forgetting about Cho and Terence Higgs in a flash.

"Don't call it help, Bell." Bletchley snapped at once. "Think of it as a favour I'm doing to you. I'm offering you my company for three hours tonight. I don't even give some girls the time of the day."

Fine, he could think whatever he wanted. She wasn't going to argue, not when Miles Bletchley was the one volunteering to spend time with her. "Of course, Miles." she said sweetly.

"See you on the pitch at seven." Bletchley said, and left abruptly.

Katie smiled to herself. _See, Cho, I didn't even need a love potion!_

Katie remained in high spirits for the rest of the day, but no one else did. Terence Higgs once again contained himself during dinner under the eye of the Professors, just like the potion promised, but once he had left the Great Hall, he took up position at the doors, and ambushed Cho as she walked through it.

"Cho, I shall kill myself before you if you do not accept me!" he cried.

"Hasn't it worn off yet?" Katie asked incredulously.

"Did you give him the entire bottle?" Elle demanded.

"He must really like me!" Cho gushed. "It'll make things so much easier now."

"Cho, how could you ever doubt my love for you? I assure you of its depth, its strength, it will never end-"

"All right, that's enough!" Flint roared. He had just walked through the doors of the Great Hall and looked simply beside himself. "I don't care if you're under a spell or not, Higgs, and I don't care if you're making a fool of yourself before the whole school, but you're ruining the name of Slytherin. The four of you, drag him back to the dormitory and lock him in!"

Montague, Warrington, Bole and Derrick set upon Higgs at once, and despite his protests, dragged him away from the scene. The girls took the opportunity to escape as well; it probably was not wise to have any communications with the Slytherins at this point of time – it would probably defeat their cause rather than help it.

Angelina and Alicia retired to the Gryffindor common room in despair. They felt that what Cho had done was likely to undo all of their efforts over the past few days. The Slytherins would probably realize what their plan was, and if they didn't, they'd be so angry that one of their own was made to look like a fool that they would not want to have anything further to do with them.

Katie, however, assured that Bletchley did not give a damn about what had happened, happily left for the pitch for what she liked to think was a date with him. Angelina and Alicia demanded to know where she was going, but true to her word she refused to say. She had promised Bletchley not to tell anyone about it, and besides, Angelina's loyalty to her team would probably overcome her wish for them all to hook the Slytherins. Oliver Wood had just tracked them down during lunch to inform them of practice tomorrow, and she did not like to think about what he would say if he knew that she was secretly helping a rival team. Well, he probably wouldn't say anything. He'd let his wand do all the talking. He had been beside himself with glee at the day's happenings. In his opinion, the Ravenclaw team and the Slytherin team had both been messed with, and this could only be good news for the Gryffindors. If Katie had not known that it had been Cho who spiked Terence Higgs, she might have suspected the culprit to be Oliver Wood himself.

Still, she pushed all these thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on the practice session ahead.

Cho remained in the Ravenclaw common room with Elle. She was now less amused by her own joke, after every single Ravenclaw had begged her for details of her and Higgs – did she think he had been spiked by a love potion? Had she accepted him? Had there been anything going on between them before? Some were eager, and most were jealous – the Ravenclaw girls were after all not immune to the numerous charms of Terence Higgs. The boys mostly sulked in jealousy as well, with the introduction of yet another suitor of Cho Chang – with or without a love potion, that sure was some extreme reaction.

Finally, Cho could not take it any longer, and she went up to her dormitory to sleep. Elle, who had been very distracted by all the noise in the common room, had made very little progress with her work and steadfastly refused to go to bed yet. She realized with some irritation that she had forgotten to borrow a book she needed to complete her essay. And it was due tomorrow. Damn. Glancing at her watch, she saw that there were ten minutes to spare before the library closed. She decided to rush down to get that book.

However, she regretted her decision almost at once when halfway down the corridor just outside the common room, she ran into none other than Marcus Flint. She expected him to start his usual snide remarks about her continuously running into him, but it seemed as if this time he had been the one to seek her out. Without a single word, and looking as if he had been waiting for her for ages, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into an empty classroom.

"You're going to explain what happened to Higgs today or else." he said without preamble.

"Has the potion worn off yet?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes." Flint spat. "He's back to his senses now and won't stop demanding what we did to him. He remembers every single thing he did today, but can't understand what possessed him to do it."

"Yeah, that's the effects of a love potion." Elle said. "The drinker does not forget what he or she did while under its influence. The memory is left intact, although the state of mind has-"

"Gringoirre, I did not ask for a lecture on love potions." Flint snarled. "I want to know _why _you gave one to Higgs!"

"I didn't give it to him!" Elle said incredulously. "Why should I?"

"You, Chang, Johnson or whoever, it makes no difference. You're all in on it."

"In on what?" Elle asked uneasily. He was getting so close to discovering their plan.

"Don't play stupid, I know you're a lot smarter than you look." Flint snapped. "The plan to mess with our minds so that you can beat us at Quidditch!"

Elle stared. The ridiculously Quidditch-obsessed troll! From the point of view of an outsider, the plan seemed painfully obvious. Their behavior towards the guys had been decidedly romantic and flirtatious. Yet these Slytherins still steadfastly believed it had been an attempt to sabotage their Quidditch. Still, it was better than having them guess that the girls were trying to get them to fall for them. She concluded reasonably that it was better to let him continue with that illusion. Still, she was not going to admit to that either.

"Think what you want." she said indifferently. "I have to go."

"It's not going to work, Gringoirre, go back and tell Wood and Davies that!" Flint said threateningly as she left the classroom.

* * *

"So what have you got to say now, Cassius Warrington?" Terence Higgs demanded.

"Fine, I'm speechless. You win. Happy now?" Warrington asked irritably.

"Not particularly." Higgs snapped. "It took me making an utter fool of myself before the whole school before you finally believed that those damn girls had something up their sleeve?"

"It's still not that serious." Warrington said huffily. "They haven't done any lasting damage."

"Speak for yourself!" Higgs bellowed. "My reputation is ruined!"

"I told you, didn't I?" Flint asked menacingly. "I told you again and again not to continue declaring love like a brainless idiot, but you refused to listen!"

"Marcus, I was under the influence of that damned potion!" Terence protested. "You can't blame me!"

Flint gave him a look which clearly said that he would blame anyone he liked, be damned with reason.

"Look," Warrington said pacifyingly. "We've used tactics on the other teams for as long as our team was first formed. Those Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were being all moral and honourable to do the same, but it seems Wood and Davies have cracked at last. So they're sending their girls to mess with our minds. It would be suspicious if they had sent Bradley, Chambers, the Weasleys or Potter to do it. So they sent girls, thinking we wouldn't suspect them. But don't you see? They can't do anything to us. Yes, we've spent an unhealthy amount of time thinking about what they're up to, because they got us so confused with their nice behavior. Now that we're wiser about it, they can't touch us anymore. Go ahead and play along with them, while not being affected at all. That's the surest way to make Wood's and Davies' plan fail."

Flint did not register much of what Warrington said at all. His mind was far too slow to process everything, and it had too little room for anything but Quidditch. As far as he was concerned, that little Ravenclaw girl had been sent by her captain to annoy the hell out of him. The thought that she might be trying to seduce him did not even cross his mind. The seduction methods of the Slytherin girls who had crushes on him were simple, direct and straightforward. They simply came up to him and whispered in his ear what they would like to do to him. If the Ravenclaw wanted to seduce him, she would say so. Since she had not, then her only other reason for behaving in _that _way to him was to annoy him. Such was the extent of Marcus Flint's mental capabilities.

Bletchley had not said a word throughout the Slytherins' discussion. He merely turned a page in his book and thought about the practice session he had just had. He was satisfied to find that he was saving Bell's goals much better than before. He would show Marcus next practice! His position on the team was safe for now. As long as Bell continued to help him. She would, of course she would. Didn't she admit that she was attracted to him? Personally, he did not believe that this was a Quidditch tactic. Miles Bletchley was too full of himself to think that a girl needed an ulterior motive to want to get close to him. Sure, he had been unnerved initially, but that was because she was a Gryffindor, and Gryffindors did not have crushes on Slytherins. But after pondering over the matter, he had concluded that it was perfectly understandable. Besides, there was nothing she could do to harm him. She was just a _girl. _And she was helping him become a better Keeper, and that was really all he was concerned about.

Higgs was still in full flow about the girls' evil plans. Warrington tried his best to advise him to take the whole thing calmly and that there was no way the plan could work. It was a very poor one, he pointed out, if Wood and Davies were banking on the Slytherins being disturbed enough to be distracted from their game. It wasn't till Bletchley had got up and went to bed and Montague yawned pointedly that Higgs and Warrington stopped their argument.

"I don't want to hear another word from you about Gryffindor and Ravenclaw girls." Flint thundered. "Concentrate on not playing Quidditch like girls and I'll be a thankful man." He himself resolved not to say another word to Elle Gringoirre again. He knew that Warrington had pointed out that the girls could only disturb them as much as they allowed themselves to be disturbed, but he did not want to risk another encounter with her. Of course there was no way in hell that he could be disturbed by her, but still her ability to distract him had gone up ten-fold since she lost her fear of him.

That Cup was going to have Slytherin's name on it this year, and no girls were going to stand in the way of that.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: Thanks __**prith**__ and __**mytondeftiger**__ for the reviews! : ) __**prith**__, as a matter of fact I am planning to include the Quidditch final in my story. As for who will win…well it'll be a secret till then! ; ) __**mytondeftiger**__, I'm so grateful to you for reviewing every single chapter! Lots of love! Just a heads up to anyone else reading, I'll be starting college in a week's time so I may not update for a while. But don't worry, I'll finish this story cos I love writing it too much. Don't let that stop you from reviewing though! Keep the reviews coming, I love them so much! : ) _

The buzz about the love potion did not die down the next day. All through breakfast and lunch, Hogwartians' eyes swiveled eagerly from Cho to Terence Higgs, as if anticipating another outburst. The professors seemed to be more on the alert than ever, their eyes scanning the hall for any signs of misbehavior or uncontrollable hormones. There also seemed to be slightly more chatter than ever, most of which were teasing remarks made to Cho and Terence, though Terence suffered the bulk of it.

He had not wanted to come down to meals at all, but as the rest of the Slytherins refused point-blank to bring him food ("What am I, your bloody house-elf?" Flint roared), pride gave way to hunger and he grudgingly came down, face burning whenever he saw anyone.

Alicia was much subdued, as was Angelina, although the latter alternated between staring longingly at Montague and asking Katie what the hell she was looking so pleased about. Little did they know that Katie was still replaying in her mind the very successful practice session she had just had the night before. Cho merely threw herself into her meal and completely ignored Padma Patil's jealous remarks and Terry Boot's persistent questions about whether or not she had accepted Higgs. Elle had propped her Herbology textbook in front of her and read it as she ate – she knew that only Hermione Granger had ever read textbooks during meal time, but it was a good way to escape questions and well, Marcus Flint's glare.

As the day progressed, though, Angelina's desire for revenge mounted, thanks to another show of affection at the Gryffindor table between Fred Weasley and Verity, and overcoming her fear, attempted to accost Montague in between classes. Alicia tagged along reluctantly.

"Look." Angelina said at once, when she managed at last to come face-to-face with Montague as he stepped out of dungeon 5 with Warrington after Potions. "That love potion has nothing to do with me at all."

"Or with me." Alicia added from behind Angelina. She was conscious of Warrington staring at her. _What, does he think that had something to do with me too?_

"I don't really care, Johnson." said Montague, smoothing his hair back with his free hand. "I really can't imagine why you thought it so important to let me know that you had nothing to do with it."

"Then stop – trying not to look at me!"

"I beg your pardon?" Montague asked.

Angelina pointed at him. "I've seen you staring at me these past few days. Now ever since Higgs' dramatic confession yesterday, you've been avoiding looking at me!"

Montague allowed a startled look to cross his handsome, haughty features for about two seconds. Then he recovered, as he always did. "Johnson, you think too highly of yourself." he smirked. "There's no end to the number of girls who'd love to have me look at them. Why do you suppose I should choose you?"

"You know the truth, Montague, although you don't want to admit it." Angelina said. "Whatever it is, you can stop. That potion had absolutely nothing to do with me, and I'm not up to anything-"

"That's enough, Johnson." Montague said smoothly, and with amazing agility, side-stepped her and Alicia and disappeared into the crowd with Warrington following.

"What the – this is not over!" Angelina said furiously. "I didn't spend all that time making myself more attractive, talking sweetly to him and throwing myself at him for nothing! Now he's finally attracted but won't admit it. Fine. I'll make him so attracted to me that he won't be able to control himself any longer."

"How are you going to do that, apparate onto his bed in your nightgown?" Alicia asked drily.

"That's the last resort." Angelina snapped. "But I'll think of something."

But there were no other chances for Angelina to accost him again. Either deliberately or coincidentally, Montague appeared to be avoiding all the places Angelina went to, or else he was surrounded by such a huge crowd of Slytherins that there was no way Angelina could get close to him. She scowled when she saw that the crowd of Slytherins included Pansy Parkinson, who was hanging onto Montague's arm, Millicent Bulstrode, who was gazing hopefully at him, and Daphne Greengrass, who was hanging onto Montague's _other_ arm. That she was prettier and more attractive than all of these girls was small consolation to Angelina. It seemed suddenly that her friends were right – he'd sooner take a Slytherin girl to the ball than he would her.

Alicia was no help – she spent the day brooding as well, with the result being that the two girls barely had the energy to tell off Fred and George when they attempted to reconcile themselves to the girls.

"Come on, Angel." Fred said persuasively. "Getting all mad just proves how much you love me."

Angelina's fist curled around her wand.

"I _promise _to be yours exclusively for a week after the Ball. How about that?" Fred asked, grinning.

"Fred Weasley, do you want me to turn you into a slug?" Angelina bellowed, causing everyone in the corridor to turn around.

"Ange, relax." Fred whispered. He was used to being in the centre of attention, yes, but always when everyone was laughing at his jokes, not when he was being shouted at by a girl whom everyone supposed to be his on-off girlfriend.

"Girls, you have to stop this." George said. "How are we going to have practice later this way? Wood will notice something is wrong. How are we going to cooperate in the game?"

"I don't give a damn." Alicia said furiously.

"See you two in practice later!" Fred shouted after the girls as they disappeared down the corridor.

"Honestly, I could _kill _him!" Angelina hissed. Alicia joined in at once, and together they abused the Weasley twins, wishing upon them a fate in which they would no longer be able to reproduce. Finally, even they could not think of any further insults to heap upon the unfortunate boys, and lapsed into a sulky silence as they walked down an empty corridor.

"I don't believe this!" came a snarl from around the corner, and Angelina and Alicia stopped in their tracks, recognizing that voice.

"Tough luck, mate." came another familiar voice.

"And they say Snape is biased towards us! If you ask me McGonagall is worse! Fancy asking me to clear the Grindylows in the lake! Those bloody creatures will gouge my eyes out!" Montague fumed.

"And just for forgetting your Transfiguration homework four times in a row." Warrington sympathized.

"I'll be at it for hours tonight! Damn her!"

"Those are nasty creatures alright." Warrington agreed. "But fascinating in a way."

"I can't understand why you love magical creatures so much, honestly, why don't _you _do the detention for me if you think they're so fascinating?" Montague asked irritably.

"I love gentle magical creatures, there's a difference." Warrington corrected.

"Honestly, you sound like a girl." Montague said for what he felt was the hundredth time to Warrington. "I can't believe you're even willing to spend extra time with that great big oaf Hagrid!"

"It's for an extra credits project." Warrington said irritably. "Believe me, I don't want to spend time with him at all. I always go down when he's not around."

"What are those sissy creatures you're studying again?" Montague demanded.

"Unicorns." Warrington answered shortly.

"_Unicorns? _You do know only girls like them?" Montague asked incredulously.

"Oh shut up." Warrington snapped. "Just concentrate on not getting your fingers bitten off by the Grindylows tonight."

Grumbling angrily, Montague set off with Warrington.

Angelina and Alicia turned to each other with glee. Both felt that this overheard conversation contained too many gems to be true.

"I've got it!" they both shouted at the same time once they were sure Montague and Warrington had gone.

"Got what?" they asked at the same time.

Angelina grinned. "Montague, in detention. Oh, this is just too good to be true."

"Why do you want him in detention?" Alicia asked. "Anyway, listen to my plan, I'm going to-"

"Listen to mine." Angelina said, cutting across her. "I want Montague in detention because that way I'll be sure of where he is tonight, and he can't leave that place for hours! I'll have him all to myself and he can't run away! It's perfect!"

"Yes, Ange, except for one little flaw." Alicia pointed out. "You have to be in detention yourself."

"And that's where I'll be." Angelina said determinedly.

"You're going to get yourself into detention on purpose?" Alicia asked, shocked.

"Yes, what class have we got now?"

"Charms." Alicia said, consulting her timetable. "Then that's the end of the day." 

"Only one more class for me to make enough trouble to get myself in detention?" Angelina asked, dismayed. "And Flitwick's so nice and mild that he isn't likely to give out detentions!"

"Ange, are you actually serious?" Alicia asked incredulously. She was quite certain her friend had gone mad.

"Of course." Angelina said huffily. "Go on to class now. Don't wait for me."

"Aren't you coming?"

"Of course I'm coming but I'm going to be ridiculously late. Maybe I'll get detention then."

"_Angelina Johnson!_"

"Just go! Don't argue with me!"

Alicia gave up. Shaking her head in disbelief, she headed off to the Charms classroom.

The moment she took her seat, George Weasley dropped into the one next to it.

"Get lost." Alicia snapped. "I'm saving this seat for Angelina."

"She can sit with Fred, there's an empty seat next to him." George said airily.

Alicia had lost all patience. She whipped her wand out and pointed it at him. "Get out of this chair now or I'll jinx it to turn red hot and burn up your most treasured possession."

George Weasley was a Gryffindor and hence brave, but not to the point of stupidity. Wisely, he leapt out of the seat at once and returned to his twin. Alicia stowed her wand back into her robes with a grim satisfaction.

True to her word, Angelina sauntered into class twenty minutes after it had commenced. Without a word of apology, without a hint of guilt on her face, she strolled casually over to her seat, ignoring the raised eyebrows of Professor Flitwick and her classmates.

"Miss Johnson?" Professor Flitwick squeaked. Angelina ignored him, instead focusing on taking parchment, ink and quill out from her bag. Alicia felt like burying her face in her hands. This outright rudeness was frightening.

"Miss Johnson?" Flitwick repeated, louder and more angrily this time.

"Professor?" Angelina asked sarcastically, as if she had only just heard him.

"Do you think it acceptable to walk into class twenty minutes late without a word of apology?" Flitwick asked angrily.

"Pretty acceptable, yeah." Angelina replied without flinching.

There was a very prolonged silence in which Alicia wished heartily that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Angelina, however, seemed perfectly unabashed.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor." Flitwick said at last. "Don't let me hear you take this tone with me again, Miss Johnson."

Angelina's face fell. After that blatant display of extreme rudeness, Flitwick still took house points only? As if mistaking Angelina's dismayed look for one of repentance, Flitwick continued his lesson without another word.

"Ange." Alicia whispered hoarsely. "That was way overboard."

"Not good enough." Angelina said sulkily. "I can't believe Flitwick is so nice! He didn't even give me detention!"

"Then let's just forget the whole thing." Alicia begged. Flitwick was one of her favourite teachers and she didn't like anyone being rude to him, even if it was only for show.

"No." Angelina said, glaring at Fred Weasley. "This is the only chance I'll get to spend time alone with Montague."

And so Angelina continued with her endeavors all throughout Charms. She passed notes to everyone in the class, from her dormitory mate Ophelia to an obscure Ravenclaw girl whom she had never spoken to before. She whispered very audibly to Alicia throughout, though Alicia was determinedly not answering. She yawned pointedly whenever Flitwick said something. And when he set them to practicing the Engorgement charm in pairs, she said loudly, "Merlin, this is boring!"

Flitwick turned to her at last. "Miss Johnson, you have behaved appallingly this entire lesson. I have refrained from punishing you because of your exemplary behavior all these years. However, I can't continue to turn a blind eye." Angelina's face lit up at once. "Fifty points from Gryffindor."

"What?" Angelina cried in dismay.

Every person present assumed that Angelina was upset over the serious punishment; only Alicia knew that her friend's dismay was due to her opinion that this wasn't a severe enough punishment, and that only a detention would satisfy her.

"You asked for it, Miss Johnson, do not complain." Flitwick squeaked. "Now get to practicing."

Angelina slumped rebelliously onto her desk. "What do I have to do to get detention, blow up this classroom?" she hissed.

"Angelina, please stop." Alicia begged. "You've just lost seventy points for Gryffindor!"

"I don't care about old Godric." Angelina grumbled. "It's Salazar I'm concerned with at the moment."

"Is a few hours alone with Montague worth seventy points and a detention with Grindylows?" Alicia moaned.

"_Revenge _on Fred Weasley is worth seventy points and a detention with Grindylows." Angelina corrected. "Hot as Montague is, I wouldn't dream of getting myself into so much trouble for his sake."

They continued practicing the Engorgement charms while Angelina busied herself with new ideas on how to get detention before the day was done. She went as far as blowing up her raven in a burst of feathers and asking Flitwick for another one three times in a row, but she only achieved an uncharacteristic glare from her Professor.

In desperation, Angelina started pointing her wand at her classmates' ravens and enlarging them instead. Those who received this 'help' from Angelina turned to look at her confusedly. She merely giggled at them.

"Miss Johnson, kindly keep your wand on your own work." Flitwick squeaked from the front of the class.

Angelina ignored him and pointed her wand at George's raven – it swelled to the size of a falcon. Flitwick looked at her. "Impressive as your charmwork is, Miss Johnson, I must ask you to resist showing it off on your classmates' animals and allow them to do it themselves, or risk losing more points for your house."

More taking of points! Angelina had lost all self-control and reason by then. "Professor, I'm bored and I don't care what I Engorge! Enlarging ravens is just plain stupid. Why do we need them to be huge for?"

Flitwick looked absolutely shell-shocked at Angelina's blatant rudeness and almost seemed at a loss of words for a moment. That was enough time for Angelina to turn her wand on him instead and shouted "Engorgio!"

The whole class turned to watch in horror as little Professor Flitwick's head began to swell like a balloon. Flitwick himself was so stunned that he only recovered when his head was the size of Hagrid's and he toppled over, his little body unable to support its gigantic head. Pointing his wand at himself, he managed to squeak "Reducio!" and slowly his head deflated.

When it was back to its normal size and he had picked himself up from the ground, there was a very nasty silence in the classroom. Every single person was staring in horror at the scene, and even the ravens had ceased to caw. Alicia was white in the face as she looked at Angelina, who seemed supremely undisturbed.

"Miss Johnson." Flitwick whispered in a voice very unlike his own – it was shaking with fury. "Are you _trying _to get detention?"

At last they had gotten there! Angelina almost drew an audible sigh of relief, but managed to contain herself just in time. She was beginning to think that she would need to smash up Dumbledore's office or rob Snape's stores to land herself in detention.

"So give it to me." Angelina said, trying to mask her eagerness.

"Very well." Flitwick said, his nostrils practically flaring. "You have behaved in a way I would never believe possible of any student. You will report for detention tonight at Mr Filch's office, and help him sort out his cabinets."

Angelina's jaw dropped. "Sir!" she protested. "Can't I do something else instead?" She almost wanted to add, 'Like clear Grindylows from the lake.'.

But Flitwick would not hear another word. "Do you imagine that you have the luxury of choosing your punishment, Miss Johnson? If you are hoping for leniency you are being foolish to the extreme. Be thankful that I did not ask you to clear Grindylows from the lake with Mr Montague."

Angelina's mouth opened at once to tell Flitwick that that was exactly the punishment she had been hoping for, but the bell rang at that precise moment, and Flitwick swept from the class without another word.

"I…don't…believe…this!" Angelina fumed. "After all that trouble, seventy points and a detention with Filch, I still haven't got what I wanted?"

"Oh, Ange." Alicia groaned, still white in the face. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was just now? Now you've done it. You've gotten yourself on Flitwick's blacklist for the rest of your life. You'll never be able to ask him for a letter of recommendation when you leave Hogwarts for when you apply for a job."

Angelina waved her hand as if to say there were more important things in life than getting a recommendation letter for a job application.

"Nevermind that." she said dismissively. "We'll have to go down to dinner at once if I want to make more trouble."

"You mean you're still continuing with this?" Alicia's voice had risen to a shrill by now.

"Of course I am!" Angelina said at once. "Do you think I went through all that for nothing? It's too late to turn back now. If I want to do it I might as well do it properly."

"Remind me why I'm friends with you?" Alicia asked miserably.

"Wow, Ange." Fred said, appearing before her as she tried to leave the classroom. "I know you're mad at me but…did you have to show your temper like that to Flitwick?"

"Bugger off, Weasley!" Angelina shouted. "I'm in this mess because of you!" She pushed him aside violently and dragged Alicia along with her.

"And because of your detention you can't go for practice tonight!" Fred bellowed after her. "What will Wood say, eh?"

Angelina could not give a damn about what Wood would say at that moment. Not even deigning to respond, she stalked down the stairs.

At dinner, talk of Higgs' declaration of love for the Ravenclaw Seeker was now replaced by talk of Gryffindor's star chaser's bizarre behavior in class. The news slowly trickled to the Slytherin table, where it was taken up eagerly at once by Higgs, who was quite determined to throw attention off his own embarrassing behavior the day before.

"What do you reckon?" Higgs asked the other Slytherins. "Is Johnson insane or what?"

"That she is." Bletchley said. "Engorging Flitwick's head indeed! Still, good news for us. The Gryffindors have practice tonight and Wood won't be pleased if his best chaser's in detention instead of on the pitch. It'll bring down his morale and hence the entire team's."

Montague, still smarting over his own detention, did not comment.

Angelina took her seat at the Gryffindor table, where the Weasley twins, having wisened up by now, were sitting far away from her. She sighed as she contemplated possible courses of action. Did she have to go up to the staff table and call Severus Snape a greasy old git before she could get the detention she wanted? No, that would probably get her an expulsion and she would never see Montague again.

"Why don't you blow up the Gryffindor table?" Katie asked. Having been acquainted with Angelina's plan by a reluctant Alicia, she was in high spirits and quite keen to offer suggestions to Angelina.

"Katie, for goodness' sake, don't encourage her." Alicia hissed.

The girls' discussion was brought to a halt by the appearance of Oliver Wood.

"Angelina Johnson." he snarled as he sat down beside her. "What the hell were you thinking? With the first match coming up soon, you go landing yourself in detention on the night of our practice?"

"Oliver, not now." Angelina groaned.

"I want an explanation, Angelina." Oliver said fiercely. "Do you have any idea how important practice is? With one member short, how can we practice our game plans, our strategies? We won't be able to see how our entire team works together. Don't you have any sense of responsibility? I don't care for your attitude at all!"

Angelina tuned out the rest of her captain's lecture. She just wanted a detention with Graham Montague, that was all. Was that too much to ask for?

"Oliver." Harry had appeared, and was standing behind Oliver and Angelina. "Oliver, I um, have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Well, I – kind of got a little smart with Snape today."

"And?" Oliver's voice was dangerous.

"Well, he gave me a detention. Tonight. I need to scrub frog brains off the dungeon walls. So I…can't go for practice tonight."

There was a deadly silence, during which Oliver was too distraught to speak, and Angelina had her best idea yet.

Before Oliver could recover to say a word, Angelina leaped out of her seat and faced Harry. And before the surprised Harry could say anything, Angelina began shouting at the top of her voice.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU ABSOLUTE MORON, YOU FUCKING PEABRAIN!" Might as well throw a few vulgarities in. "How could you be so stupid, so thick-headed, you worthless nitwit!" She was shouting for all she was worth now.

Harry stared, horror struck, at the enraged Angelina.

Angelina continued without missing a beat. Taking her captain's speech for her own, but throwing in a generous amount of swear words, she shouted, "Do you have any idea how fucking important practice is? With one damned member short, how can we practice our game plans, our strategies? To hell with you! We won't be able to see how our whole damn team works together. Don't you have any sense of responsibility, you imbecile? I don't care for your fucking attitude at all!"

Alicia would have dearly loved to hide her face in her bowl of soup, but Katie was watching the scene with undisguised glee. The rest of the Gryffindors, including Wood, were merely thunderstruck. Angelina continued shouting as loudly as she could, and her jumble of swear words was brought to a halt only when Professor McGonagall swooped down impressively on her and Harry.

"Miss Johnson, that's quite enough! How dare you make such a racket in the Great Hall, how dare you treat us all to that vulgar display! I'm ashamed to call you a Gryffindor! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Angelina would not hear of any further point deductions. "It's all his fault, Professor!" she cried, pointing at Harry with a finger not usually meant for pointing. "He went and landed himself in detention when we have practice tonight, that fucking Mudblood!"

She had done it. Almost the entire Hall gasped. Harry's blood heritage notwithstanding, it was the worst word which ever crossed Angelina Johnson's lips.

"Detention, Miss Johnson." Professor McGonagall said, shaking with fury. Her lips were thin and her face was white. "I never want to see such abominable behavior from you again."

"I have already given her detention, Minerva." Professor Flitwick squeaked from the staff table. "She is to report to Mr Filch's office to help him sort out his cabinets."

"That is hardly a severe enough punishment for her, Filius." replied McGonagall, still shaking with fury. "You are too lenient. Miss Johnson, I will take the liberty of re-arranging your detention for you. You will join Mr Montague in clearing the Hogwarts lake of Grindylows tonight, and you will receive no aid from the Professors or Hagrid. The two of you are not to leave until the lake is clear. Is that understood?"

Angelina almost laughed out loud in utter relief and joy, but she managed to hold it back. "Yes, Professor." she said, her voice almost trembling with excitement.

"Well, Graham." Warrington said once the silence had passed and the Great Hall had exploded in chatter once more. "That makes your detention tonight much more pleasant, doesn't it?"

Montague did not say anything, but his mind was reeling.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: And I'm back! =) It's my winter break now, so I finally have time to update. First off, I'm so sorry for not updating for so long, but college is really crazy! But I'll be free for two months now, and so I promise the updates will come more frequently. =) Thanks to **xhpduhx, prith, aDeathlyHallow, mytondeftiger, Nelli-5, nightDREAMERms, Shan84, chloi, PropertyOfFredWeasley, Sherbetsnitch, bluepseudonym, DiamontsandPearls, Lisa** and **padoryia** for reviewing! Thanks so much for all the nice comments, I really appreciate them and they make me so happy. =) Once again, sorry for the delay in updating, but rest assured the updates will come speedily now! Also, I hope that the long lay-off didn't cause my writing to deteriorate, but just in case, I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest. But I'll do my best to get back into that writing groove! Thanks once again and (hopefully) enjoy this chapter! _

"Angelina Johnson, don't you have detention tonight?" Alicia asked rather icily.

"Yes, of course I do." Angelina replied gaily. "How could I ever forget? Why do you ask such a ridiculous question? And don't _you _have quidditch practice tonight?"

"You mean the one you're supposed to be attending?" Alicia snapped. "I asked you that because you don't look like you're going for anything vaguely resembling detention!"

"How do I look then?" Angelina asked as she scanned her reflection in the mirror.

"Like you're going on a date." Katie chortled, hugging her knees as she sat on her bed.

"Which I am." Angelina said triumphantly. "Be jealous, girls, because tonight's my night. Just look. A full moon, a lake, a gentle breeze, a castle in the background, Montague and I all alone. It's the perfect romantic setting."

Alicia did not say anything. She was too busy tearing her hair out.

"Well, you look gorgeous as ever, Ange." Katie said approvingly. Her friend had washed her hair (which seemed quite pointless, seeing that she was simply going to get wet in the lake and would need a shower again later) and let it flow loosely about her shoulders, put on light make-up, and had unbuttoned the topmost button of her school blouse and hung her tie loosely around her neck. Her school skirt also seemed suspiciously shorter than ever.

"And I'm sure the grindylows will add greatly to your romantic atmosphere." Alicia said sarcastically, having regained her power of speech and deciding that this was not worth her pulling out her precious tresses over.

"Of course." Angelina said. "Every fairytale has an ugly monster in it. How else is the prince supposed to shine?"

"Please tell me you're not going to play the helpless princess in distress." Alicia groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"It depends. I always make it up as I go." Angelina said. "Now I must get along to my um, detention. You two had better rush off to practice too before Wood combusts."

"Do you think Warrington will be there?" Alicia asked anxiously, forgetting Angelina's scheme for a while.

"So what if he's there?" Angelina asked irritably. "Anyway I don't think he will be. They're avoiding us at the moment in case you forgot, thanks to Cho's brilliant scheme."

"Well, you've managed to corner Montague." Katie said, smiling. _And I've managed to corner Bletchley, with no help from love potions, outright rudeness to teachers or detentions with grindylows!_

"So I have." Angelina said happily. "Now come on, girls, we're running late."

The three girls hurried from the dormitory; Alicia and Katie to the quidditch pitch behind the castle and Angelina to the front of the castle where the Hogwarts lake and Graham Montague awaited her.

Professor McGonagall and Montague were already there when Angelina arrived. McGonagall's mouth was the thinnest of lines and her face was sterner than Angelina could ever remember. Montague was lolling against a tree in that handsome way of his; his long legs crossed elegantly and his dark curly hair rippling slightly in the breeze. He was twirling his wand impatiently with his fingers.

Angelina caught her breath. Damn, the guy was hot! With a smile, she noticed how similarly they both were dressed. He too, had loosened his school tie, and his school shirt was hanging out of his belt. Yet he did not look unkempt – instead he looked very fashionably and of course, handsomely, tousled and windswept. The fact that his tie was silver and green in colour and hers was gold and red only made him seem more attractive to her in some weird, twisted way. As she walked down the lawn towards him, she considered the both of them. Both were likely choices for the next quidditch captain once Wood and Flint had left. Both were very good chasers and either one almost always emerged the top scorer of the match. She realized too that they had rather similar personalities – they were both very determined people and neither liked to lose. Also, as was evident from her behavior today, both decidedly had a mischievous streak. Perhaps she was more Slytherin than she realized.

"You were almost late, Miss Johnson." Professor McGonagall said coldly. Angelina did not like this new unfriendly attitude from her Head of House, but then she couldn't really blame her for that.

"Sorry, Professor." she said contritely. After all, there was no need to continue with the rudeness now that her mission had been accomplished.

"You and Mr Montague will work together to rid the lake of Grindylows, or at least till the Grindylow population has dwindled to a low enough number to not pose a danger to the other magical creatures in the lake." McGonagall said, ignoring Angelina's apology. "I do not care what means you two choose to employ in doing this, but once they have been captured place them in that crate." She pointed to a large open crate beside the lake. "Professor Lupin would like to use them for his lessons on dark creatures. I have placed an Unbreakable Charm on the crate so that the Grindylows can't escape. Is that clear, Mr Montague and Miss Johnson?"

"Yes, Professor." Angelina said while Montague merely nodded coolly.

"Mr Montague, when I ask you a question I expect an answer. A verbal and audible one, I might add."

"Yes, ma'am." Montague muttered.

"Get to work now." McGonagall ordered, and swept off towards the castle doors.

Angelina waited till McGonagall had disappeared into the castle before turning to Montague.

"She didn't even say what time we could stop!"

"Are you deaf, Johnson?" Montague asked, sneering. "She said we had to clear this entire damn lake before we could leave."

"That's impossible." Angelina said. "That could take us till dawn, I don't know how many grindylows there are in this lake."

"Then let's get to work." Montague snapped. "I don't wish to spend more time with you than is necessary."

"Graham, why don't you drop that stiff manner?" Angelina asked playfully. She slipped off her shoes and socks and danced closer to the lake. When she was at the edge of the lake she turned and looked at Montague. "It's after school hours, no one is around, and we're at the lake. Just try to relax!"

Montague seemed momentarily stunned at the sight of Angelina dancing like a carefree child at the edge of the lake, the moonlight illuminating her silhouette with a soft glow. Angelina noticed his reaction, and smirked, which brought Montague to his senses at once. He shook his head as if trying to clear it of thoughts he did not want invading his mind. Whether consciously or not, Johnson was flirting with him, and he could _not _let himself be distracted. _Remember what Warrington said. Don't be disturbed or affected and Wood's plan will fail for sure. _Unfortunately, he could not even think of one suitable reply.

"I said, let's get to work." he said angrily. "I don't have time to play games with you, Johnson."

"Fine." said Angelina. She had all night to work on him anyway. With any luck they would be at it till dawn, and the morning sunrise could only enhance the romantic atmosphere. She stepped lightly into the lake's shallow waters and waded in till the water was up to her knees. Even then, her school skirt did not get wet, seeing how high above her knee the hem was.

Montague had slipped off his shoes and was rolling his trousers up to knee length. Then he strode into the water till he was next to Angelina.

"Now what?" he asked in a bored voice. "Where do we find those foul creatures?"

"Well, I don't think they'd come to us." Angelina said. "Hagrid says they live in the deeper waters of the lake and will only attack if they feel the stranger is a threat to their territory. Right now they probably don't know we're here so they won't do a thing."

"I didn't ask for a lesson on grindylows." Montague snapped. "I want to know what we have to do now! Do we have to swim down to get to them? I don't fancy being strangled by those creatures underwater, and anyway neither of us can just sprout gills to breathe underwater."

"Well, we'll have to summon them then." Angelina said composedly. No way was she swimming underwater to get to the grindylows either. Montague had to be able to fully appreciate her beauty, and the moonlight was essential for that.

"And let them all set on us at once?" Montague snarled.

"Well, alternatively, my dear Graham, we could just go back up to the lawn, sit down and enjoy the moonlight, and when Professor McGonagall comes to us in the morning, tell her straight in the face that we simply couldn't be bothered to do the job."

The corner of Montague's mouth twitched before he could help it. "Like you'd ever say that to your Head of House, Johnson."

"You saw and heard what I said today to both Flitwick and McGonagall." Angelina said lightly. "Why do you think I wouldn't say that?"

Montague smirked at the memory. "I heard rumours of your bizarre behavior with Flitwick all right. And I wonder how much of it is true."

"Then you're lucky, Graham, because the girl in question is right before you and can confirm those rumours. If what you heard was that I sauntered into class ridiculously late and ignored Flitwick, then yawned at everything he said, blew up my raven about three times and finally Engorged his head to about three times its size, then yes, all of it is true. Every word."

Montague could help it no longer. The smirk broke into a grin, and he could barely contain his laughter. It sounded so…so…like _himself_. It was pure devilry. And her tirade at Potter in the Great Hall? How he loved to see someone finally shout at that brat. Everyone else practically worshipped at his shrine. Even if it was the first time Johnson had raised her voice at him, it was immensely satisfying to see the shocked look on the kid's face. The fact that Johnson had used a most favorite word of the Slytherins on him made Montague want to howl with glee.

Noticing the change in Montague's expression, Angelina decided to fan the flames while they were hot. "Want to know why I Engorged his head, Montague?"

"Why would I be interested in that, Johnson?" Montague asked, trying to retain some of his old sneering self but quite failing. He was in fact bursting with curiosity on that point. What had made Johnson behave so mischievously?

"Because he's such a tiny little dwarf that I thought some enlarging would be good for him." Angelina said, grinning at Montague.

Montague could not control himself any longer. He burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Why, that statement sounded pure Slytherin, if someone else had told him about it but had not said who that statement belonged to, he would have thought it was Flint, or Warrington, or those two goons Bole and Derrick. How often had he and his gang of Slytherins poked fun at their tiny Charms master? In fact, he might even have mentioned once or twice himself that Flitwick sorely needed an Engorgement charm, except that he had been referring to a different body part from the one Johnson targeted. Warrington had roared in laughter and clapped him on the back. Montague chuckled at the memory. Who'd have thought Angelina Johnson, a goody-two-shoes Gryffindor, would have appreciated such distinctly Slytherin humour?

Angelina was laughing too, and this cut into his thoughts. Turning, he looked at her; her dancing eyes and smiling lips. Suddenly, he felt a weird sensation around his midriff. Before he could remind himself to take control of such emotions, Angelina spoke.

"Well worth a detention with Grindylows, definitely." she said, a twinkle in her eye. "That was the best fun I've had for a long time."

"I always said you Gryffindors were too tightly wound up." Montague said smirking, before he could control himself.

"It seems we really do have something to learn from you Slytherins, huh?" Angelina said playfully. "I never knew being naughty could be so much fun."

_Damn, the girl's hot! _The thought flashed across Montague's mind before he could stop himself. Subconsciously his fist curled tighter around his wand, and he drew a sharp intake of breath at her comment. _I never knew being naughty could be so much fun…oh Johnson, the things I could show you…_He suddenly felt himself remembering the day she ran into him outside the Great Hall, how she had landed squarely on top of him, how it had felt to have her body pressing against his…

_Splash!_

Montague was jerked violently out of his thoughts by a handful of lake-water in his face. Spluttering a little, he dragged his sleeve across his face, wiping the water off before looking straight at Johnson, who was laughing at his reaction. She had splashed the water at him so violently that some had landed on her too; droplets were clinging to her face and hair.

"Angelina Johnson, you're learning this much faster than I'd like." he said in a mock threatening voice.

"I've past the point of no return so I can be as naughty as I like now, Graham." she replied tauntingly.

"I'm the last person you'd want to mess with, so be warned."

"Wrong. You're the first." Angelina dipped down and before Montague could say another word, she brought another wave of water crashing down on him.

"Oh, that does it!"

Angelina shrieked in laughter as she turned to one side to avoid the splash of water that Montague sent her way. She was now drenched from head to toe, but that did not make Montague stop at all. He continued splashing her with water, while at the same time moving closer and closer to her to increase the effect.

"All right, all right, I give up!" Angelina laughed, spluttering and choking at the same time. Her hand shot out and grabbed Montague by the collar (he was that near to her by then). "Did you hear me? I give up, you win, stop that!"

Montague, determined to get another shot in before he spared her, scooped up a handful of water and without really thinking, poured it down her partially open blouse.

Angelina gasped as the cold water hit her bare skin, then she turned and looked Montague straight in the eye. Her fist was still curled in his collar, and he stared down at her, half-defiant, half-confused, as if he wasn't sure what he had just done.

"Why, Graham Montague." she whispered silkily. "That was a very _very _naughty thing you just did." She dragged him down a little closer to her and looked deep into his eyes. Although she was trying to act the part of the seductress here, she couldn't help but feel her heart racing. She was excited, she was thrilled, and goodness, she was scared! The fact was that she was in extremely close proximity with a supremely hot guy whom she had been fantasizing about for years, and although it was her mission to hook him, she couldn't help but feel that she was being hooked herself. _Control yourself, _she told herself firmly.

Montague, in turn, was looking straight back into her eyes as if seeing her clearly for the first time. She was so unbelievably gorgeous; perhaps there was a small, hidden part of him that had always thought so, but had been forced under by his overwhelmingly competitive spirit and the strong Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry. But now it was close to impossible to not give way to those feelings. She was so close to him that from the edge of his eyes, he could glimpse her bra beneath her unbuttoned school blouse, and even when he ignored that sight, he could see her chocolate-brown eyes, so playful and alluring, and the wet locks of dark hair that clung to her face. His heart beat faster as she suddenly pulled him down so close that their lips were inches away from brushing…

And then she pulled back.

As Montague sputtered in confusion and indignation, Angelina smirked as she turned her back on him. _Nice one, Ange. _She mentally congratulated herself. She was close, that close, to kissing Montague, but had held back at the last moment. Initially that had been what she was working towards, but something told her that for a player like Montague, it was wiser to leave him wanting more. Let him feel a bit more of that desire and frustration, and he would be hooked for sure.

"Johnson, tell me – what th- what the hell – was that for?"

Angelina's smirk grew wider. "Come, Graham." she said silkily. "We have Grindylows to catch."

* * *

It was pitch-black before Wood finally released his team. Alicia groaned as she landed on the ground and dismounted her broom. Her muscles were seizing up and she ached all over. With Angelina absent, she had had to do much more passing and goal scoring than ever, with the result being that she could barely move her scoring arm.

Katie landed smoothly beside her. "You ok, Alicia?"

"Wood is mad." Alicia snapped. "And Angelina's mad too. I'm going to kill her for this. Thanks to her the two of us had to work our bones off today. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Katie said, shrugging. Having practiced with Bletchley every day, her arm had gotten quite used to such torture.

"I don't believe it." Alicia grumbled.

"Come on, let's get you up to the dormitory." Katie said soothingly. "I've got some ointment which is excellent for muscles aches." After all, she had been in severe need of that after her sessions with Bletchley.

"Do you reckon Angelina's done by now?" Alicia asked. "We could go walk up with her."

Katie chortled. "If I know her she's probably stalling for time so that she can spend more time with Montague. I doubt she's done yet."

"Let's go check anyway." Alicia said. "At least we can be sure she hasn't been eaten by a Grindylow."

The two girls set off for the lake. "Not that she doesn't deserve it, though." Alicia added darkly.

* * *

Montague cursed as he wrestled with the foul creature. The stupid thing seemed to have made it its mission to gouge out Montague's eyes before the night was over. Fuming, he reached out and grabbed its fingers, or at least what he assumed were its fingers. To his surprise, they broke at once, and the Grindylow howled with rage and pain. Its other hand started flailing wildly, scratching Montague's face in the process.

"GODDAMNIT!" Montague roared, letting go of the thrashing creature. It fell at his feet in the shallow waters and continued jerking around wildly. Montague reached for his wand in his robes, pointed it at the Grindylow and performed a quick Banishing charm, sending the Grindylow flying into the crate at the edge of the lake.

"Are you alright?" Angelina yelled from the other side of the lake. She was busy casting spells here and there, as Grindylows flew at her from all directions.

"Bloody creature almost took my eye out!" Montague snarled angrily.

"You've got to be quick, Montague, you can't let them near you, hit them with a spell before they can!"

"Easier said than done, Johnson!" Montague yelled back, as he blasted a Grindylow away. Another one grabbed at his robes from below. Cursing, he sent the Grindylow flying with a kick, and it landed back into the water.

"Graham, we're supposed to be putting them into the crate, not sending them back to the lake!"

"Oh, I'm sorry but I can't be too fussy about what to do with them when they're trying to maim me!" Montague roared back.

"Think about it, Montague, if you want your revenge on them you'll have to screw them real bad, not send them back to freedom!"

What? Revenge on Grindylows? That was about the stupidest thing Montague had ever heard, really, only a Gryffindor could come up with that kind of crap, but…

Reluctantly, a grin tugged at his lips. The situation now seemed funny as opposed to irritating, and he felt more cheerful as he Banished an oncoming Grindylow. Who knew he could actually feel cheerful in the presence of Grindylows and a hated rival? But then, was she really a hated rival after all? Before they had performed a Summoning charm which triggered the onslaught of Grindylows arising from the deep waters of the lake, he had almost been…having fun. It was ridiculous, he could not possibly be enjoying the company of Angelina Johnson, Gryffindor and rival Chaser, but…

Montague shook his head. He could leave such thoughts for another time, preferably one in which there were no Grindylows trying to gouge his eyes out.

From far, Alicia and Katie watched speechlessly.

"Well." Katie said finally. "It seems like they're too busy to chat."

"Let's just leave." Alicia said. "I doubt they'll be done till sunrise."

Katie agreed.

* * *

The orange sun was glowing brightly against the sky by the time Angelina dropped the last paralyzed Grindylow into the crate. Montague was cursing as he examined some cuts on his arm.

"Well, we did it!" Angelina said happily as she stepped back from the crate.

"We sure did." Montague muttered. He looked up at her. How could she possibly be so happy after such a night? They had had no sleep at all, breakfast was due to start in an hour's time, they still had a whole day of lessons ahead of them, and they were both scratched and cut all over. "Johnson, why the hell do you look so happy?"

"Well, Graham, we've actually survived a night of getting attacked and clawed by Grindylows, and on top of that, we've got all the foul things trapped in that crate over there, awaiting a fate in which they'll see no further than Lupin's office, and get peered at for hours by pesky little third-years. I think that's enough to put a smile on my face."

Montague felt a smile growing on his own face. Damn, Johnson could be really funny when she wanted to. _She's smart, gorgeous, sexy and funny…_

"Anyway, it's been a nice time, Graham." Angelina continued, walking towards him. "I look forward to doing it again."

"Surely not, Johnson. I've seen enough of those foul creatures to last me a lifetime."

Angelina laughed. "To be honest, same here. But it was fun spending time with you, despite the Grindylows. Something tells me we should do it again." Her heart began to beat quickly. Now was it, now was the time to ask him to the Ball.

Montague took a step back, staring at her in amazement. Could she actually be trying to ask him out? He opened his mouth to say something to encourage her, but stopped almost at once. What the hell was he thinking? This was _Angelina Johnson, _a _Gryffindor. _

"So I was thinking, we should-"

"Johnson, I'm dead tired. I'm going up to rest before breakfast." Montague said, cutting her off abruptly.

"Wait, I-"

"Goodbye!" Montague practically fled the lake, leaving a stunned Angelina behind.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: There, as promised, a quick update! =) Thanks for sticking with me despite the long hiatus, guys! Thanks to __**Lisa, Shan84, prith, mytondeftiger**__ and __**aDeathlyHallow**__ for reviewing. Oh, by the way something really cool happened when I was away at college. I was driving around exploring the new area when I saw a sign saying 'Warrington Rd'! I laughed and thought about what a cute coincidence it was. But half an hour later, I saw another sign which said 'Montague Street'! I'm not even kidding about this! I thought to myself, that's a sure sign for me to get back to work on that story. XD Anyway guys, hope you enjoy the next chapter. I'm already working on the next one. =)_

"Oh you've _got _to be kidding me!"

Professor Sprout turned. "Is there a problem, Miss Johnson?"

"No…no." Angelina sighed, slumping on her desk. "It's just that…I thought I'd had enough of dealing with…" she waved her hand in a general direction. "…with such creatures."

"Oh yes. I heard of your detention last night." Professor Sprout said, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "I understand that Grindylows can be rather vicious and that you were probably at it all night, Miss Johnson, but you must understand that you deserved it and that I cannot deny the class a chance to revise the re-potting of Mandrakes just because you are tired of, as you put it, 'such creatures'."

"Of course, Professor." Angelina said, sighing.

Alicia, feeling sorry enough for her friend to forgive her outrageous behavior the day before, patted her on the back comfortingly. Smiling wearily, Angelina dragged herself into an upright position. If she had been successful in asking Montague to the Ball, she would have been in high spirits today, no matter how many hours she had spent wrestling with Grindylows the night before. But to think he had escaped at the crucial moment…

Growling in frustration, Angelina reached for a pair of earmuffs from the box that was being passed around the class. She couldn't believe it! After all her efforts, he was still hiding from her? He was attracted to her, she was sure of it now. But something was holding him back, probably that stupid traditional rivalry between their houses. Angelina scowled.

"Ange, it's alright." Alicia said soothingly. Angelina had filled her and Katie in about it all at breakfast, and the two of them had to spend most of breakfast comforting their disgruntled friend. Fred had seemed to be on the verge to say something to Angelina, but the looks on Alicia's and Katie's faces had been enough to send him scurrying back to his seat. Unfortunately, Alicia didn't know what to say anymore. She could offer Angelina no suggestions. Obviously Montague had been hooked, but if he was still in denial, there was precious little they could do about it.

"Don't worry about me." Angelina said, trying to smile. "I'll think of something, I always do. But what about you, Alicia? How's your progress?"

"Oh." Alicia paused, wondering if she should tell Angelina about her plan. She had been thinking about it all night, in fact, ever since she and Angelina had overheard Montague and Warrington in the corridor. Still, she wasn't sure. It sounded pretty stupid even to herself, and she didn't want Angelina to laugh at her. Still, the chocolate cereal plan had sounded stupid too, and it had worked to some extent.

"You don't mean to say you haven't thought of anything?" Angelina asked in disbelief.

"No of course not!" Alicia said, stung. "I _have _thought of something."

"Then what is it?" Angelina demanded.

"You'll find out once I've carried it out." Alicia said. She was pretty sure that she did not want to tell Angelina about it – it would only be met with scoffs. Angelina was good at the whole seductress act, but she wouldn't understand something like this. She would need help for this plan, yes, but she would have to ask one of the others, not Angelina. Best friends they might be, but she doubted that Angelina would be agreeable to helping her for this.

Before Angelina could question her further, Alicia snapped her earmuffs on and turned her attention to the Mandrake plant on her desk.

* * *

Angelina's mood did not improve as the day passed. It was exceedingly obvious that Montague was avoiding her. Yes, they were from different years and yes, they had different timetables, so she could understand why he was taking a different route from her in between classes, but wasn't it a bit too much that when he came face to face with her in a corridor, he turned away abruptly and walked as quickly as possible in the exact opposite direction?

Absently, Alicia tried to console her as Angelina fumed over that last encounter, but her mind was somewhere else. She was thinking about her plan and if it could possibly work. When they ran into Katie and Cho outside the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom, she snatched Katie into a corner, leaving Cho to handle Angelina.

As briefly as she could, Alicia filled Katie in on her plan and pleaded for her help. Katie stared at her incredulously. "Alicia, you're mad!"

"Not as mad as Ange." Alicia said defensively.

"But- but- that's just crazy! I wonder how you even thought of it!"

"Come on, are you helping me or not?" Alicia asked impatiently.

"Well-" Katie shifted uncomfortably. Apart from the fact that she thought the plan was crazy, she also had practice with Bletchley that night. Well, she had it every night, actually.

"Are you my friend or not?" Alicia demanded.

"Of course I am!" Katie said at once. "But- well, Alicia, I really don't know if I can pull it off. I'll probably start laughing halfway or something. And besides, I'm not sure if I can control those unicorns. You know I'm no good with magical creatures."

"Katie Bell! Can't you at least try?" Alicia asked desperately.

"Look, why don't you ask Cho and Elle?" Katie asked, equally desperately. If she didn't show up for practice tonight, she would lose Bletchley forever. Yet she didn't like letting her friend down.

"Fine." Alicia said resignedly. "But they might be busy with homework as usual."

She was surprised to find later, though, that both girls were perfectly willing to take part in the plan.

"Sure." Cho said without hesitation. "We'll do it."

"Really?" Alicia asked in delight.

"Yeah." Elle replied. "We like unicorns. And it'll be kind of fun."

"Katie thought it was stupid." Alicia said with relief that the two girls didn't think it was.

"I think it's cute." Elle said, giggling. "And it might actually work. I always thought Warrington might be a big softie at heart."

"That he is." Alicia said dreamily. "That's why I'm doing it this way. And that's why I can't tell Ange. She wouldn't approve at all."

"She sure wouldn't." Cho said, shaking her head. "That was pure craziness at the lake last night! Angelina told me all about it just now."

"That's what Ange does." Alicia said. "Go all sexy on the guy. It worked, yes, but getting Warrington requires a different angle."

"Anyway, we're behind you one hundred percent." Elle said, patting Alicia on the back. "What time will Warrington be going down?"

"Six. I overheard him telling Montague at breakfast today."

"Sunset." Cho giggled. "It's perfect. Elle and I will go down earlier then, to get ready."

"Thanks, girls." Alicia said gratefully.

* * *

After dinner, the five girls separated, each muttering a made-up excuse. Angelina said that she was tired beyond all possible belief and that she was going upstairs to get some well-deserved sleep. Alicia said that she was off to the library and not to expect her back till late at night. Katie muttered something vague about taking a walk, and Cho and Elle expressed a strong desire to visit Hagrid. With the common goal of hooking Slytherins in mind, the girls set off.

Cho and Elle headed down to Hagrid's hut, but not to visit the gamekeeper. They knew it was the night for him to head down to The Three Broomsticks at Hogsmeade, which was why Warrington had chosen that night to work on his unicorns project. Interested as he was in magical creatures, it was probably not strong enough to overcome his reluctance to spend time with someone he clearly saw as a big oaf.

"We're early." Cho said, checking her watch. "Warrington shouldn't be down for another fifteen minutes."

"Ok, so let's see. The adult unicorns' pen is over here. And the one for the foals, here. And for the newborns, over there." Elle said, dancing here and there to check out the locations.

"Warrington will be over here, because he's only working on the adult unicorns." Cho continued, pointing. So that's where he'll be, and Alicia will approach him from here, because that'll turn his attention away from the newborns' pen."

"Where we will be." Elle finished.

"That's right." Cho said, satisfied. "Now, do you think we'll need any spells?"

"I doubt it." Elle said. "They're only newborns. And they'll naturally be attracted to Alicia. We just need to give them a little nudge in the right direction."

"What if Warrington sees us? Won't he want to check on the pens once he sees these things popping out from nowhere?" Cho asked worriedly.

"Then it'll be up to Alicia to work on him." Elle said. "We'll just have to hope for the best."

"This is like some kind of secret spy mission." Cho said, giggling.

"I can't believe Slytherins are worth all this trouble." Elle said, but she smiled all the same.

"Terence has been avoiding me all day." Cho sighed.

Elle took her friend's hand. "Hey." she said softly. "Don't worry about it. It's pretty understandable, considering the fact that he's just revealed that he's attracted to you. Of course he'd be embarrassed and want to avoid you. The important thing is that you've got him now. You just have to corner him one day and force him to admit it."

"You're right, I guess." Cho said, sighing. "But I won't do anything as crazy as Angelina, of course!"

"Of course." Elle agreed, laughing. "I doubt Flitwick will ever recover if you pull something like that on him."

"How's it with Flint?" Cho asked suddenly.

"Oh." Elle looked away. She really didn't want to admit that it was worse than ever. The only sign that Marcus Flint gave of knowing that she existed was the glares he gave her as they passed each other in the corridors and at mealtimes, which surely couldn't be a sign of affection, unless that was his particular brand of Trollish affection.

"Look, don't worry about that either." Cho said quickly. "I'm sorry for asking."

"Cho, it's alright." Elle said, smiling. "Let's just concentrate on helping Alicia now, ok?"

"Alright." Cho said, smiling back.

The two girls waited, and after five minutes, they spotted Warrington's huge silhouette moving down the slope from the castle towards the pens beside Hagrid's hut.

* * *

Alicia checked her watch. If all was going according to plan, Warrington would have been there for about fifteen minutes now, and Cho and Elle would hopefully be concealed behind the newborn unicorns' pen. It was time for her to make her way there. Taking a deep breath, Alicia smoothed her sleek dark hair, checked her reflection in her pocket mirror, and looked outside at the sky. It was close to sunset, which meant perfect timing.

Quickly, she made her way down the castle steps, then walked down the slope towards the unicorn pens. From far, she spotted Warrington, crouched down beside the pen holding the adult unicorns. Quickly, she glanced at the pen on the opposite side of Hagrid's hut where the newborn unicorns were. No sign of Cho and Elle. Very well, they were supposed to be hidden anyway. She could only hope that they were already there.

Her heart was beating furiously as the slope flattened out, bringing her closer and closer to Warrington. When she was not more than ten feet away from him, she cleared her throat and called out.

Warrington jumped violently when he heard her call his name. Dropping the quill and parchment he had been holding in his hands, he spun around quickly, and his face turned red when he saw Alicia.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Alicia sighed, used to this response from the Slytherins by now. She almost felt like she preferred the usual insults they heaped on her and her teammates, which were a thing of the past now. These days, the Slytherins' response ranged from jumpy to flustered whenever she or any of the other girls appeared, and Montague and Higgs were actually actively avoiding them now.

"I thought I'd come and see Hagrid." she replied lightly. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Hagrid's not here." Warrington said abruptly, ignoring her question.

"Oh?" Alicia asked, pretending to be surprised. "Where is he?"

"How would you expect me to know that, Spinnet?" Warrington asked, smoothly returning to his old sneering form.

Alicia smiled to herself. While she would be annoyed in the past, she was now beginning to find such remarks endearing. It was like Warrington was always trying to put on a cold, sneering front, when deep down inside he was an adorable boy who never failed to be flustered by her.

"Oh, probably the fact that you're right outside his hut and that you seem to be-" she craned her neck to glance at the parchment on the grass, which bore a drawing of a unicorn, "-sketching unicorns, which I can only assume is for a Care of Magical Creatures project. And seeing he's the Care of Magical Creatures teacher-"

"All right, all right, no need to go shouting about it!" Warrington snapped at once, though with a tone of alarm.

Alicia laughed. "Come on, Warrington, why are you so shy about it?"

"I'm – not – shy!" Warrington growled, gritting his teeth.

Alicia couldn't take it anymore. "Really, Cassius, you're the most adorable thing ever." she said, laughing. She walked closer to him, and he flinched as if she had burned him, before jumping aside quickly. Ignoring him, Alicia leant against the fence of the pen. "Why should you be embarrassed about liking unicorns?" She reached out a hand to stroke the nearest one, and immediately it nuzzled up to her. "They _are _very lovable creatures, aren't they?"

Warrington was staring at her as if he had just been hit on the head by a bat. He seemed to be torn between surprise and gratefulness at having found another person who would not laugh at him for liking unicorns, and outrage at her having somehow discovered this fact and daring to call him 'adorable'.

Alicia seized on his momentary silence to continue. "I always thought the best thing about them is their purity, and how they're attracted to innocence. There's something very beautiful about that."

Warrington began to sputter. "Well – I – that is-" He closed his mouth again and stared at Alicia in shock. He would rather get gored by a manticore than admit it, but that was exactly how he had always felt. Of course, being in Slytherin, it wasn't good to let such news get around. Only Montague had some inkling of his liking for unicorns, but even he had no idea why. How the hell was it possible that Spinnet, of all people, be the first person who actually shared his sentiments?

He had been the one to tell the other Slytherins to not be affected by the girls, whatever it was they had in mind. He had told them to simply ignore the girls and not give them any thought, because that was the best way to ensure that Wood's and Davies's plan would fail. Yet he felt like he always failed miserably at following his own advice in Alicia Spinnet's presence. Even when he saw her these days in the corridors, he would find himself turning away to avoid looking straight into her eyes. At breakfast, whenever he tucked into his daily bowl of chocolate cereal, he could not help but remember the day when she came to his aid and offered him her bowl. Now, although he was trying desperately to remind himself to take control of his mind, he was more flabbergasted and flustered than ever. How on earth should he handle this situation?

His eyes darted to the unicorn that Spinnet was cuddling. It was nuzzling up to her, making no protest at all as she patted it on the head. It was the same one he had been trying to draw, but it had been so reluctant to come near him that he had been growing increasingly frustrated. He knew why, of course. Unicorns were, as Spinnet had said, attracted to purity and innocence. It was why unicorns preferred a female touch, and not just any female touch. It was most comfortable around those who were pure and untouched. He grimaced as he thought of his past dalliances with Slytherin girls. It was no wonder the unicorn did not like him.

Now he watched Spinnet as she talked to him while playing with the unicorn. He barely registered a word she was saying. Suddenly he remembered the day his class had been learning unicorns. Hagrid had had a tough time persuading the unicorns to warm up to the Slytherins, even the girls. Veronica Greengrass had shrieked with laughter when the unicorn she stepped close to skipped away from her at once. The other Slytherin girls had laughed too, and clapped her on the back. Warrington had wrinkled his nose in disgust. _Slut, _he had thought to himself. And the other girls, acting as if it was something to be proud of! Yes, he was, deep down, a conservative guy. Suddenly he couldn't help but contrast those girls with Spinnet, who was now attracting all the unicorns in the pen with practically no problem at all.

* * *

"I think it's time." Elle whispered.

"Quick, let it go then." Cho whispered back.

Elle stepped out from behind her hiding place and gently placed the newborn unicorn on the grass. It was a pure, shimmering gold, and it looked absolutely beautiful. Quickly, she darted back to Cho.

Cho groaned. "Elle, it's following you back!"

"What?" Elle turned around, and sure enough, there was the little newborn, trotting behind her. "Oh no." She stooped down and picked it up again. "Come on, off you go!" She placed it a distance from her and ran back quickly.

"Darn thing!" Cho hissed. "Shoo! Go away!"

Elle stared at the newborn in disbelief. It was following her back again! "What the-" she muttered. "You release yours first, while I take care of this one." she whispered to Cho.

Cho, carrying another newborn in her arms, darted out quickly and placed it on the grass. It clung to her still, nuzzling her leg. "Shit!" Cho cursed. "Elle, we have a problem here. They like us too much to go!"

"I don't believe this." Elle moaned softly. "The timing has to be right. Go on, you silly thing, go!" Her liking for the unicorns was fast evaporating now. Still, her unicorn would not go. It crawled into her lap and burrowed against her neck.

"Oh, I did it!" Cho whispered suddenly, making Elle look up. Her unicorn had been successfully banished from her, and was now making its way slowly to where Alicia was.

"How did you do that?" Elle demanded in a whisper, still trying to pry her unicorn off her.

"I kind of shoved it. Now I'm going to go get another one."

"Help me." Elle said desperately. _Why _was this unicorn so stubborn?

By the time Cho had managed to shove three unicorns in Alicia's direction, Elle was still struggling with her first one. "I don't get it, they're supposed to be attracted to Alicia!" she muttered.

"They're attracted to us too, apparently." Cho said. "We should have expected that really. But goodness, Elle, have you ever even _kissed _a guy? That unicorn is totally hung up on you!"

"No, I haven't." Elle said, scowling. "You may laugh now."

"Oh I wouldn't do that." Cho said, though she looked like she was holding back a laugh. "Anyway, once you've hooked Marcus Flint, those unicorns wouldn't come within ten feet of you."

"Oh, very funny." Elle whispered. "Now stop your nonsense and _help me with this darn thing!_"

"Give it here." Cho said, amused. "At least I've kissed someone before." She took the unicorn off a harassed Elle, and set it off.

Quickly, Elle began handing Cho unicorns from the pen, and Cho proceeded to release them towards Alicia.

* * *

"What the hell?" Warrington gasped as he saw a trail of newborn unicorns of pure gold making their way towards him and Alicia. Well, more like towards Alicia. They were deliberately avoiding him, but were snuggling up to Alicia. She stooped down in delight.

"My goodness, where are they coming from?"

"Their pen is at the other side of Hagrid's hut." Warrington said, too shocked to remember to speak rudely.

"They're beautiful!" Alicia scooped one to her chest, and it happily began to lick her face.

Distracted, Warrington looked down. Instantly, a strange feeling gripped him, and his heart almost skipped a beat. There was Alicia, crouching down on the grass, with a golden unicorn on her lap and many more around her, a lock of dark hair falling over her face as she bent down to kiss the newborn's head. Behind her, the setting sun cast an orange glow over the whole scene.

Quickly, he turned away, his heart beating wildly. The whole thing was too much for him to take. Closing his eyes, he tried to take control of his mind, but all he could see was Alicia; Alicia and those golden unicorns. _Damn it! _He thought wildly. Such thoughts, such scenes, had _no _business being in his head, none at all. He tried desperately to banish it to no avail.

"Cassius, look, I think they really love me!"

He turned around before he could help himself. Goodness, there were so many of them, and she was right, they seemed to love her. He wondered vaguely how they had escaped from Hagrid's pen, but strangely that didn't bother him very much right now. Alicia looked up at him, and he saw her bright face, her eager, dancing eyes, and her smiling lips. He stared, transfixed. He couldn't turn away now even if he wanted to.

"Cassius, say something. You haven't said a word, and I feel quite stupid doing all the talking."

"I-" Warrington started, then stopped again. His voice sounded strange, like it belonged to someone else. He cleared his throat. "The purer the girl is, the more attractive she will be to unicorns." he offered weakly. It was a dumb thing to say, and she probably already knew that, but his mind was a blank right now.

"Says a lot about me." Alicia said, giggling.

_Says that you're not like those slutty girls. _The thought flashed across Warrington's mind before he realized what he was thinking. What was this, was he actually thinking well of Alicia Spinnet?

"You know, Cassius, I've been wondering about something." Alicia said casually.

Warrington forced a response out of his throat. "What?"

"I was wondering…" Alicia paused. "Who are you going to the Ball with? You know, the Yule Ball."

Warrington stared at her. This was the last question he had been expecting. "Why…why do you ask me that? Spinnet?" he added hastily, trying to keep together his cold image by calling her last name, though he was failing desperately. He tried to think of another sneering remark to make. "Not hoping to go with me, are you?"

Alicia looked up at him and straight into his eyes. He stared at her bright blue eyes, looking so unflinchingly at him. "As a matter of fact, I was."

Warrington's mind was a complete blank, and his heart was beating so fast that he thought it was going to stop. This was not happening. He had misheard her. Alicia Spinnet had not just asked him, Cassius Warrington, to the Ball.

"Or would you rather go with one of the Slytherin girls?" Alicia asked softly.

The scene of Greengrass and the other Slytherin girls, who had repelled the unicorns so much that day in class, ran across Warrington's mind. "No." he said emphatically.

"I thought not." Alicia whispered.

* * *

"I think one more should do it." Elle whispered. She handed one last unicorn to Cho. "Quick, now, the timing is perfect! He's going to agree any moment!"

Quickly, Cho shoved the unicorn towards Alicia.

* * *

Warrington stared as another unicorn came up to Alicia. She smiled as she scooped it up to her. She stroked it on the head, then turned back to look at him.

A million thoughts were running through Cassius Warrington's mind at that moment, none of which made much sense, but only one stood out clearly.

"I will go with you. To the Ball."

Alicia smiled as she stood up slowly. Without a word, she gently placed the golden unicorn in Warrington's arms. It struggled at first, but she slowly stroked it till it lay calm in his arms. "I'm glad to hear that, Cassius." she said softly.

* * *

On the other side of Hagrid's hut, Cho grabbed Elle and hugged her tightly.

"We did it!" both girls whispered at the same time.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Big thanks to __**bluepseudonym, Shan84, prith, aDeathlyHallow, UltimateLoveStorys, footballer96**__, __**Nelli-5**__ and __**Lignala **__for reviewing! __**Bluepseudonym**__, I'm glad that you liked the contrast. =) I wanted each of the girls to have a different approach, because after all our favourite Slytherins boys are all different, and because it's more realistic that way. =) __**Shan84**__, here's some Flint action for you in this chapter, but I'm afraid the Katie and Bletchley action will only resume next chapter! XD __**aDeathlyHallow**__, the signs were in Melbourne city. =) But it's so cool that they're in America too, Slytherins are really all over the world aren't they? XD __**Nelli-5**__, thanks for being such an awesome reviewer, you're here every chapter! Yes, Alicia has done it! Sorry that you guys had to wait 11 chapters before one of them finally succeeded, but it probably wouldn't be very realistic if they could do it too quickly. Anyway, on to the next chapter. =) And thanks to anyone else reading! =)_

"No. No way."

"Yes way." Alicia fired back gleefully. "Believe it or not, I've done it!"

Angelina slumped against the wall. "I don't believe this." she whispered hoarsely.

"And it's only been – what – a week?" Alicia continued happily. "Boy, I'm better at this than I thought!"

"I don't believe this!" Angelina wailed again, louder this time.

"Oh c'mon, Ange, be happy for Alicia, won't you?" Cho said, grinning. Because she had helped to contribute to Alicia's success, she was in high spirits as well. "See I told you, my little trick with the love potion didn't compromise your chances at all."

"It did for me!" Angelina snapped. "Montague is avoiding me like the plague!"

"You just need the right angle." Elle said wisely. "Warrington was avoiding Alicia too, but now he's her date for the ball."

"Oh, don't rub it in." Angelina moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Ange, c'mon." Cho said. "None of us have succeeded yet either."

"But – but – this was _my _idea!"

"Doesn't make you the only one entitled to succeed." Alicia said gaily. She couldn't stop grinning. This had to be one of the best days ever. She'd done it, she'd beaten Angelina in her own game, she had gotten herself a date in the form of Cassius Warrington, and when they appeared together at the Yule Ball, oh, revenge would be sweet. She smiled as she imagined the look on George Weasley's face.

"I can't believe it!"

"Yes, Ange, you've said that before."

"But I really can't believe it!"

"You've said that too."

"You went playing with unicorns while I almost got myself half-killed by grindylows, and it's you who succeeded? Where's the fairness in all that?"

"Hey, it wasn't easy." Alicia said defensively. "I had to try so hard to stop myself from laughing the whole time! I had to plan the whole thing so carefully. I made sure it was sunset. I made sure we were alone – well, almost alone. I made sure the unicorns were released at the right moments-"

"Hey, I think _we _took care of that." Cho protested.

"Oops, sorry. Well, yes, I guess you and Elle can take credit for that. And I even selected the newborns because they were so beautiful and were sure to make Warrington's heart melt. Wouldn't you call that effort?"

"But it sounds like such a stupid plan! I can't believe Warrington really fell for that!" Angelina protested.

"You'd have to be there to appreciate it, Ange." Elle said. "It sounds stupid, yes, but I can tell you things were getting really good between Alicia and Warrington there. It _was _very beautiful, and very romantic. Alicia was saying all the right things, and we were releasing the little unicorns to her at the right moments. I can't believe we actually did it, but we made the whole thing look so natural and spontaneous!"

"We sure did." Cho said, giggling.

"Oh don't be so upset, Angelina." Alicia sighed. "I thought this was what you wanted?"

"Yes, but I'd feel a lot better if I had gotten my man too." Angelina said sulkily.

"You _will._" Cho said. "It just needs one more shot. Just – just – kidnap him or something and force him to admit his feelings for you."

"Don't give her any crazy ideas." Alicia pleaded.

"You're one to talk about crazy ideas!" Angelina shot back.

"Girls, girls." Elle said in alarm. "Maybe we should just go to bed."

"Good idea." Cho said quickly.

Sighing, Angelina crawled into bed and pulled the covers over herself. Shrugging, Alicia walked the two girls to the door. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Where's Katie?" Cho asked, looking around.

"Oh, she's been getting back real late every night these days." Alicia said. "I think it's something about Bletchley, though she refuses to tell me a word."

"These Slytherins are taking up our whole lives." Cho said, laughing.

* * *

Elle bolted upright. "Shit!"

"What is it?" Cho asked sleepily, stirring in her bed.

"I forgot to do my Potions homework!"

"What?" Cho cracked open an eye. "Since when do you forget to do homework?"

"I know, right?" Elle said frantically. "And it's due tomorrow!"

Cho bolted upright too. "Elle, you're doomed! Snape will kill you!"

"What am I going to do?" Elle asked frantically. "Now I remember, I was planning to do it today but I was so busy helping Alicia that I forgot all about it."

"Well, what's the homework?" Cho asked.

"_Summarize the chapter on the uses of Swelling Solutions." _Elle recited immediately.

"Funny how you can remember the question but forget to do it." Cho said with a wry grin.

"Oh, Cho, don't laugh at me!" Elle said desperately. "What am I going to do now?"

"The homework, of course." Cho said matter-of-factly. "It isn't a very difficult task, really. Not Snape's usual. There are only about five uses, and it's a summary. It shouldn't take you too long."

"I don't have the book." Elle hissed.

"Oh." Cho said, looking rather alarmed. "Then you're in trouble."

"I guess I'll have to get it now." Elle said, resigned.

"Now?" Cho asked, surprised. "The library's closed! It's after hours, you'll get caught!"

"I'd rather risk getting caught by Filch than get murdered by Snape tomorrow." Elle said, getting out of bed. "Don't wait up, Cho."

* * *

Slowly, and as silently as she could, Elle crept up the spiral stairs, the book tucked under her arm. Her trip down to the library had been surprisingly smooth, with no sign of Filch or Mrs Norris anywhere. Still, she found she could barely breathe as she made her way back to Ravenclaw tower. Not only was she out of bed in restricted hours, she had also just stolen a book from the library. Well, not exactly stolen, but it was the first time she had taken a book without officially borrowing it. Silently, she cursed the stairs. Why did her dormitory have to be at the topmost tower in Hogwarts?

Suddenly, a soft meow above her caught her attention, and she froze on the step. Her eyes darted upwards immediately, and her heart almost stopped as she saw, two levels above her, a light from a candle illuminating the form of Filch and Mrs Norris at his feet. _Shit!_

Quickly, she darted off the stairs and into the nearest corridor. Heart beating wildly, she ran down the corridor as fast as she could, then turned a corner, and then another. Seeing a classroom door ahead, she pulled it open, entered the room without further delay and then shut the door.

"WHOZAT?"

Elle jumped violently and she almost screamed, but managed to hold back at the last moment. She turned around and scanned the classroom wildly, her back leaning against the door she had just closed. "Who's there?" she gasped.

"Com-com-come to-t- _laugh _at me have you?" A loud clang, followed by the sound of someone struggling to his feet.

"Marcus Flint?" Elle asked incredulously into the darkness.

"Ah, I know that voice. Little Ravenclaw isn't it?" There was a loud crash and as her eyes got used to the darkness, Elle could make out a large silhouette tumbling to the floor.

Slowly, she moved forward. Yes, it was Marcus Flint, lying on the ground in a heap and reeking of – was that – Firewhiskey? She stared in amazement.

"Go on, say something!" A large fist began pounding the ground. "Haven't you- haven't you always been the smart one, huh, always having – something – to – say?"

"You're drunk." Elle said loudly. She had just arrived at that conclusion herself.

"Like – like hell I am!" His fist began groping around the air.

Elle glanced around uncertainly. Instinct told her to leave the room at once, and get back to Ravenclaw tower. A drunk Marcus Flint was bound to make a great deal of noise – he already had – and would only attract attention to them both. Let the idiot get caught drunk and out of bed if he wanted to, but she wasn't going to get dragged down with him. But as she turned to leave, his hand shot out and grabbed the hem of her robes.

"Lemme ask you a question."

"Flint, let go!" she hissed, trying to tug her robes out of his grip.

"I said – I want to ask you – a questioooooon." With a strong tug, he pulled her down to the ground beside him.

She yelped out in surprise as she landed next to him. "Marcus Flint, are you crazy? Let go, come on-"

"Tell me." he slurred, cutting across her. "What is it like to be so smart? Hmm?"

"Feels great." Elle said, barely listening to him. She was busy searching her robes for her wand. He had dragged her into empty classrooms before, yes, but never when he was drunk. She had a feeling that he would be quite a force to reckon with in an inebriated state.

"Look at me." His rough hand grabbed her left cheek and forcibly turned her face towards him.

"Flint, stop that." she said desperately, although she knew nothing she said now would get through to him. Her hand was still groping around for her wand.

"Give me more, now!"

"Give you what?" she asked in exasperation. Her wand was nowhere to be found. Did she even take it with her out of Ravenclaw tower? Apparently not.

"More of- of this stuff. You know this stuff?" he reached around and grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey he had been drinking and shoved it in her face.

"I don't have that." she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the sight of the bottle and at the smell it produced.

"No, no you don't." Flint began shaking his head violently and started to laugh.

"No, please don't laugh." Elle pleaded. At this rate they would be caught and she would get into trouble thanks to him.

He did not seem to have heard her. "You'd be too busy – _studying _– to buy any of this stuff, wouldn't you?"

"Marcus Flint." she said, as forcefully as possible while trying to keep her voice down at the same time. "You are drunk. I'm going to take you back to your dormitory." She realized that was the best thing she could do. He would not let her leave. If they continued to stay here, they would be caught for sure. If she could talk some sense in him, perhaps he would let her lead him back to his dormitory, and then she could get back to her own to get some sleep.

"My – my dormitory?" Flint asked, leaning a heavy hand on her shoulder. She almost buckled with the weight. "Oh, I always knew you thought of me that way, little Ravenclaw, my dormitory, hmm?" His other hand grabbed hers suddenly. "Come on then, my dormitory it is, I'll show you something those library books of yours have never shown you before-"

"Flint, please!" she tried to shove him away, but he was far too strong. Goodness, it was useless trying to talk sense into him. She tried to remember if she had ever read anything about dealing with drunk people. Yes, there was a potion for people who were hung over, but he wasn't hung over. He was still in the drunken stage.

_Think, Elle, think. _People who were drunk were not in the right frame of mind. How should one talk to someone who wasn't in the right frame of mind? She had a feeling that it should be like talking to an infant or someone who was mentally retarded. She remained lost in those thoughts until a shout from Flint startled her.

"I'M GOING TO DIE!"

She almost jumped out of her skin. "What was that for?" she hissed, clutching at her heart.

"BUT NO, YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND, WILL YOU, ALWAYS GETTING 'OUTSTANDING' HERE AND THERE-"

"Can you _please _don't shout!" She grabbed him by the front of his robes without thinking. "Look at me!"

To her surprise, he actually stopped. He looked straight at her, and for the first time she could see his face clearly. His eyes were unfocused and bleary, but she could see anguish in them. He leant closer to her, and instinctually she drew back, but his hand shifted from her shoulder to the small of her back, holding her in place.

"I'm going to fail." he whispered.

"Fail what?" she whispered back. Her heart was beating so fast now. She had never been so close to Marcus Flint, never, not even when he had been threatening her all those other times. Her eyes darted from side to side, taking in his full size in amazement. He was literally twice of her in breadth.

"Fail." he whispered again. "I'm going to fail."

She was so unused to him whispering that she felt confused and disoriented for a while. When had Marcus Flint ever whispered? He was always shouting, or roaring in fury, or snarling. And he sounded so – so upset. Usually there was only anger or exasperation in his voice. Suddenly her mind flickered back to the scene in the library that day – when she had ran into him beside the bookshelves. She had asked him about his NEWTS, and he had stormed off after snapping at her. He had looked so angry then, but vulnerable at the same time.

"Fail your NEWTS?" she whispered.

He looked straight into her eyes, and this time he did not snap at her. "Yes." he said directly.

Elle felt her heart wrench with pain. "You're not going to fail." she said. Slowly, tentatively, she laid a trembling hand on his huge, muscled shoulder.

"I – will!" His hand moved from her back to grip her waist tightly – so tightly that she almost gasped in pain. "I'm going to fail, I can't do it-"

"Marcus, you can!" she gripped his shoulder too, but found it very hard to do so. It was at least twice the size of her palm.

Then suddenly he let go of her completely, and rose unsteadily to his feet. She looked up as he towered over her. "Where – where's the Firewhiskey?" he slurred.

She realized that this was not the time to talk to him about his troubles. He probably wouldn't even remember a thing come morning. But then – she now knew the truth. He was stressed, simple as that. He had never been before, because although he had been failing his subjects every year since he entered Hogwarts, he had still managed to attain the minimal mark to keep his place in school. It was only when he had taken his NEWTS that the difficulty level of the course had finally been too much for him, and he had been forced to stay back a year. And now, he was faced with the prospect of repeating it all over again. She remembered how he looked in the library that day, bursting with anger and frustration, forced to stay locked up in a place which he hated and did not belong in. Now she realized he had looked like a caged animal that day, his size and his muscles belonging on the Quidditch pitch, not in a small library. He reeked of sheer maleness – he would always be restless if he was not moving, not actively doing something. She could only imagine how tortuous it was for him to study for hours at a desk.

She stood up. Okay, so he wasn't holding on to her now. That was good. She decided that the best thing to do would be to run to the Slytherin dormitory, and get either Higgs or Bole or Derrick to come and get him. There was no way she could drag a huge specimen of a man like that out of the classroom if he did not want to go.

He did not seem to notice her leaving.

* * *

"Salazar?"

No response.

"Umm…You-know-who?"

No response.

"Oh come on…muggles suck?"

Silence.

Could it be? "Mu-mudbloods suck?"

Silence. Great. She had just said a bad word for nothing.

"Purebloods for the win?"

Nothing.

"Purebloods are the best? Purebloods rule?"

The snake on the door slithered aside at once to reveal a doorknob.

"Who'd have thought it!" Elle muttered. She hadn't expected it to be so easy to break into the Slytherin common room. Then again, Slytherins had a one-track mind. Just throw in a few words about purity of blood and you'd be bound to get the password. Shaking her head, she pushed open the door cautiously and stepped in.

Once in, she looked around. So this was it. The Slytherin common room had rough stone walls, and greenish lamps hung in chains from the ceiling. The furniture looked extremely expensive – she couldn't believe how comfortable those armchairs looked, and there was an elaborately carved mantelpiece just ahead. Honestly, Slytherins could be so predictable.

She was about to start searching for the boys' dormitories when a door to her right opened with a creak. Elle almost jumped in shock, but then she had received so many shocks in the past hour that she was getting quite used to the sensation.

"Elle Gringoirre?" Lucian Bole asked incredulously as he stared at her. "What the hell are you doing in the Slytherin common room?"

"Marcus Flint is in a classroom on the fifth floor, and is extremely drunk. I came to tell you to fetch him." With time running out, she cut to the chase. She didn't even bother asking him what he was doing coming down to the common room at three in the morning.

Bole stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "But how did you get in here?" he demanded.

What, was Marcus Flint getting drunk in random classrooms such a common occurrence that Bole was more concerned about how she came to be in the common room than fetching Flint? "I guessed the password." she said impatiently. "Now are you going to go get him or what?"

"What were you doing with him then? At this hour?" Bole demanded.

"_Nothing._" said Elle. "I just happened to run into him. Will you please just go get him?"

"Are you being funny or something? How could you just run into him at this hour?"

"Well then perhaps you can explain why he isn't in the dormitory with you? Why the hell would I get out here at three in the morning just to pull such a stupid prank on you? I'm telling you he's there. If you don't want to get him, fine, go ahead. When he comes to in the morning don't blame me if he murders you all."

Obviously she knew that this was an empty threat, because Flint would have no way of knowing that Bole could have chosen to retrieve him and did not do so. Still, Bole wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box, and a look of fear passed his face. Apparently he had faced his captain's wrath enough times to not be eager for more.

"Fine, I'll go get him." Bole said stiffly. "But you – get out at once."

"Oh I wouldn't want to trespass on your hospitality any longer." Elle said sarcastically. As if she wanted to stay in this gloomy place – those green lights were really starting to freak her out.

Without another word, she walked out of the common room, Bole following behind. They walked in silence down the corridor, and up the stairs to where Flint was.

"He's in that classroom." Elle said, pointing. "Now good night."

She waited till Bole had disappeared inside the classroom before slipping away.

It was four in the morning by the time Elle laid down her quill in exhaustion. Still, sleepy as she was, she did not fall asleep right away when at last she crawled into bed. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Marcus Flint.

* * *

The next morning, similar scenes were playing out in the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory and the Slytherin boys' dormitory.

"Elle, if you don't get up we're going to be really late!"

"Mmmph."

"Goodness, how late did you stay up last night? _Get up now!_"

"Five more minutes…"

"No, you have to get up now!" Cho yanked her friend's arm, causing her to shriek as she jolted awake.

"All right, all right, I'm up!"

In the Slytherin dormitory, a nervous Bole was doing everything he could to wake Marcus up without simultaneously incurring his wrath. An almost equally nervous Derrick was trying to assist him.

"Oh, just poke him in the eye or something." Terence Higgs said impatiently as he did his school tie up in front of his mirror.

"You do it then, if you're so smart." Bole snarled.

"No way, boys, he's your problem." Terence said smoothly as he glanced into the mirror one last time. Sniggering, he slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and headed out. After all, it wasn't the first time that Flint had to be woken up from a hangover. Bole and Derrick always managed to find a way around it eventually.

Bole sighed. "I guess we'll have to shove him off the bed again."

Derrick shuddered. "No way! Don't you remember what happened the last time we did that?"

Bole shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Madam Pomfrey managed to fix our ears back on in the end."

"Tell you what, let's get Montague." Derrick said. Montague was much less frightened of Flint than the two of them were, and he was also smarter than both combined. He probably had a better idea on how to wake Flint up.

Before they could head out, though, Montague appeared through the door, right on cue. "Aren't you guys going yet? We'll be late for breakfast!"

"Marcus is hung over." Bole said at once. "Can you please get him up?"

"Again?" Montague asked incredulously. "Why didn't you stop him from drinking last night? It was a freaking school night!"

"We weren't there when he was drinking." Bole protested. "By the time I got to him he was stone drunk. I had to drag him all the way up here."

"Where was he?" Montague asked curiously.

"In some classroom on the fifth floor. That Ravenclaw beater came to tell me to get him."

"You mean Elle Gringoirre?" Montague asked in shock.

"Oh yeah, that's the one." Bole said, scratching his head.

"What was she doing with him?" Montague demanded.

"That's what I asked her." Bole said. "Said she just ran into him."

Montague found this very strange indeed, yet there was no time to pursue it. Breakfast had started ten minutes ago and Marcus was still fast asleep in bed. If he missed breakfast, he was sure to pound them all into the ground. Still, as he approached Marcus, he felt uneasy. He still remembered that detention with Johnson on Tuesday, and how he had felt about it. _Were _those girls up to something after all? Surely it was no coincidence that they kept "running" into them here, there and everywhere. Perhaps he should be paying more attention to what Higgs said after all. So thinking, he resolved to avoid Angelina Johnson at all costs from now on.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he pointed his wand at Marcus's huge form. "_Ennervate._"

A loud groan issued from Flint's mouth, as he slowly began to turn over.

"Marcus, we're going to be late." Montague said loudly.

Flint began to growl as he threw his arm over his eyes, shielding them from the sunlight.

Sighing in frustration, Montague drew his wand again. "_Aguamenti!"_ A jet of water shot out of his wand and hit Marcus square in the face.

That did it. Spluttering furiously, Marcus Flint shot out of bed and stumbled to the ground, before drawing himself to his full height. He was still a little unsteady on his feet, but he nevertheless cut an imposing figure as he glared around at them.

"WHAT THE RUDDY HELL WAS THAT FOR?" he roared.

"Marcus, you were drunk." Montague said loudly, though much less bravely than before.

"SO? Did you have to go splashing water on me?"

"We'd be late for breakfast!" Bole protested. Marcus turned on him and at once he shut up, retreating back a little.

"Come on, Marcus." Montague said quickly. "This can be cleared up." He waved his wand over Marcus, and the water dried up instantly. "Now let's go down for breakfast."

Flint continued to fume as he grabbed his school bag. He had fallen asleep in his uniform and shoes the night before, so he was already fully dressed. Since he had never paid much attention to hygiene or personal grooming anyway, he was ready to go without washing up or combing his hair. The other Slytherins wisely chose not to comment.

"How did I get drunk anyway?" he growled.

Montague and Derrick both looked at Bole, who looked away at once. Flint turned to look at them. "Well?" he snarled. "Don't just all stand there looking at each other."

Derrick cleared his throat. "Umm…Bole?"

Flint rounded on him. "What about Bole?"

Bole began muttering something feebly.

"Speak up!" Flint roared. "What the hell happened last night?"

"Well, Marcus, I really don't know." Bole said weakly. "All I know is that, well, see I was heading down to the common room last night, I wanted a bit of a drink myself, and you know I keep my Firewhiskey in that cabinet in the corner. Then, well, I saw – someone – in the common room."

"And who was that?" Flint demanded.

All three Slytherins looked at each other, neither daring to say anything.

"Who?" Flint roared.

"Marcus, please don't get mad." Bole pleaded.

"I swear, Bole, if you don't tell me at once I'll hex your ears off again. _And _yours." he added threateningly to Derrick.

"Alright, alright!" Bole said hastily. "It was – Elle Gringoirre."

"WHAT?" Flint looked around at them all as if he was going to throttle them any moment. "What the hell was she doing in the common room?"

"To tell me – that – you were drunk, and to ask me to go get you." Bole gasped.

Flint advanced on Bole, shoving him against the wall. "I'm telling you, Bole," he snarled. "If that's your idea of a joke I don't think it's very funny at all."

"Marcus, I swear I'm not joking!" Bole protested. "It really was her! And she led me to this classroom on the fifth floor, and there you were, drunk, so I dragged you back here and you fell asleep immediately. I threw away the empty Firewhiskey bottle too. That's all I know, Marcus, I swear."

Flint was breathing very deeply. "And do you – do _any _of you-" he turned around to face Montague and Derrick. "-have any idea what I was doing with her?"

Montague and Derrick looked at each other. "Well, I can think of something." offered Montague, grinning slightly.

"Shut up." Flint roared. "I want to know how come she was there when I was getting drunk!"

"We really have no idea, Marcus." Derrick protested.

Flint turned away from them, fuming. What the hell happened? He closed his eyes, trying his best to recall the night before. What was the last thing he remembered? He was in the library, yes, and he had been reading…something. What was it? Oh to hell with it, it was just some dumb textbook. And he had been getting frustrated, he remembered that as well. What next? He had gone up to the common room, gotten the Firewhiskey, and then…

Yes, he was slowly starting to remember. He hadn't really been aware of where he was going, he was just stumbling blindly in fury, he had entered a room, and then he had started drinking. That was really all he could remember. Growling, he punched the wall in frustration. How had the darned girl come into the picture? How had she found him? And what was worse, what had she heard? He had been so frustrated with thoughts of failing his NEWTS and repeating another year. It was very likely that he was babbling nonsense about it while he was drunk. If she had heard any of that…

"Umm…Marcus?" Bole asked timidly. "We're…really late for breakfast. It's almost over."

Growling, Marcus nodded and pushed past them, stomping out of the dormitory. The other three followed wordlessly.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Yes, I've finally finished another chapter! I would like to make a HUGE apology to everyone reading this story for the ridiculously late update. I've been having writer's block and really didn't want to write when I had no inspiration. So I apologize if the quality of this chapter isn't very good, I guess I was out of it for too long. Still I hope you guys can mildly enjoy it! Thank you SO MUCH to anyone who's still sticking around and having the patience to read. I've also noticed a few new readers and believe me guys, you made my day! Love you all!_

"Elle, look." Cho said, nudging her friend.

Elle looked up from her breakfast. "What is it?"

"Flint." Cho whispered.

Instantly Elle sat up, more awake now. She turned slightly to look over her shoulder at the Slytherin table. Marcus Flint was sitting down heavily, with Bole and Derrick flanking him on both sides. He looked up as he sat down, and caught her eye. Quickly, she turned back and looked down, her heart racing. She wasn't sure what Bole had told him, but if he had told him that it was her who had found him drunk, she was quite sure he wouldn't be too happy about that.

Cho, however, was still glancing at him. "Goodness, he's in a temper today!"

"Isn't he always?" Elle muttered.

"I think he's glaring at you."

"Nothing new there either." Elle sighed.

Cho patted her friend on the back. "Maybe that's his way of showing affection."

"Yeah right." Elle forced a smile. "Just ignore him, that's what I'm doing."

"How are you going to hook him this way?" Cho asked.

"I don't know." Elle said, poking her half-boiled egg with her fork, letting the yolk spill out. "But I'll let him cool down first." Moodily she considered the many negatives of entering a relationship with someone who had, hands-down, the worst temper she had ever seen in her life. Then she gave herself a little shake. She was _not _trying to get into a relationship with him. She was just trying to get him to be her stupid date for the stupid ball, and then she could erase all thoughts of him from her mind. Still, the thought of his NEWTs and the rather strong possibility of him failing them yet again hung heavy on her mind. She could not for the world imagine why that should trouble her particularly, but there was simply a strong urge to help him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Katie seating herself opposite her and Cho. "I can't take it over there." Katie said, gesturing towards the Gryffindor table. "Angelina's grumbling about Montague ignoring her, Alicia's gloating about getting Warrington, and neither of them are showing any sign of stopping any time soon."

"Welcome to Ravenclaw, where we wouldn't dream of bothering you with such stuff." Cho said, grinning. "Bacon?"

"Thanks." Katie said, gratefully seizing the plate Cho was offering to her.

Elle decided, for Katie's sake, to hold back the complaints about Flint she had been on the verge of spilling.

"Anyway, Cho, I have a kind of favour to ask of you." Katie said as she ate.

"What is it?" Cho asked curiously.

"I was wondering if you could, um, let me copy your Charms homework." Katie said sheepishly.

"Not that I mind, but why on earth do you need to copy mine?" Cho asked incredulously. "You're fine with Charms."

"I haven't got time to do it tonight." Katie said urgently. "And it's due tomorrow."

"Why not?" Cho demanded, but Elle had recognized the expression on Katie's face.

"Let me guess, it's Bletchley-related." Elle said slyly.

Katie blushed. "Well…yes."

Cho slapped her palm on her forehead. "Katie Bell! Can we have one single conversation which doesn't involve the Slytherins?"

"Well you know neither of us has any choice in the matter." Katie said, though she did not look like she found the matter particularly irksome. In fact, Cho and Elle noted that she looked rather eager.

"Well, all right." Cho grumbled, reaching into her bag. "Here it is, you can copy it during lunch break or something. That'll leave you free for your…night activities."

"Thanks!" Katie said, taking the homework gratefully.

"Gringoirre, I want a word." thundered a very different voice out of nowhere, and very suddenly.

"You can have two words, Flint, _get lost._" Cho snapped in defence of her friend.

Flint did not turn to look at her. His eyes were fixed on Elle. "I'm not talking to you Chang." he growled, still glaring at Elle. "You-" he pointed at her. "-out of your seat now and follow me."

"Why should she?" Katie asked defensively as well.

"It's alright." Elle said. "I can handle him." she stood up to face Flint, but it did not seem to make much difference – Flint towered over her either way. Still, she had to make some attempt at dignity. "What do you want?"

"Not here." he snarled, grabbing her arm. "Come with me."

"I can walk." Elle said, trying to shake his arm off but failing – his grip was too strong. _Great. _She grimaced. It was useless trying to appear impressive before Marcus Flint, he was smothering every attempt by his sheer size and strength.

Still, she followed him not-too-reluctantly out of the Great Hall. She was curious about what he had to say to her. Oh there would be shouting no doubt, and threats as well, but the actual substance of what he wanted to tell her intrigued her. Was he trying to find out what she had heard last night? She amused herself with the notion that he was trying to silence her. _Don't you dare tell anyone I'm having troubles with my exams or you'll be sorry. _She couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face. As if that would be news to anyone in Hogwarts. Then she sombered up, realizing that she was unconsciously making fun of him and his – lack of intelligence. Exams were a serious business to her, and she was inclined to feel sorry for anyone having troubles with them, even if it was Marcus Flint.

Flint, meanwhile, was glancing down at her with confusion and exasperation. What on earth did those changes in expression mean? He was incredulous that she could be smiling when he was behaving in such a threatening manner to her. And how quickly she turned grave afterwards! He almost growled in frustration. She was really the most ridiculous girl in the world.

They reached an empty corridor, and he halted abruptly. "Alright." he said, turning around to face her. "I have some questions for you."

He had released her by then, so she leaned against the wall and folded her arms. "I'm all ears." she said drily.

"First, why the hell were you there when I was drunk?" he demanded.

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand so that she wouldn't have to look at him. "I was returning from the library when I came across you."

"Gringoirre, even _you _wouldn't be mad enough to be at the library in the middle of the night. And aren't you lot supposed to be all uptight about rules and stuff? Weren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"I am _not _uptight about rules." she hissed, then wondered why she even had to defend herself from that. What he thought of her and her house wasn't even important. "And I _was _afraid of getting caught, which is why I had to duck into that classroom in which you so unfortunately happened to be in at the same time. I was hiding from Filch."

Flint looked as if he did not believe a word of it. "What the hell were you even doing in the library at that hour?"

Elle was far too tired to explain that. "Look, Flint, just get to the point. Classes are going to start and I don't want to be late."

Flint considered this. Perhaps it was more important to find out what she had heard than try and comprehend what she was doing in the library in the middle of the night. She was probably just weird that way.

"Alright." he said, with the air of someone doing another a generous favour. "Tell me – describe to me – what I was like when you found me."

Elle looked at him incredulously. Describe him? "Well, you were reeking of Firewhiskey and you were shouting nonsense." she volunteered.

Flint stiffened at once. "What nonsense was I – I mean, what was I saying?" he demanded.

Elle smiled at how he had just called his own words nonsense.

"Stop smiling and answer me." he demanded again, louder this time.

Elle wondered if she should tell him. "Well, you weren't very intelligible." she said, to stall for time while she made up her mind.

Flint growled at the long word. "What the heck does that mean?"

This time Elle had to stifle a giggle. "Um, it just means that – that you weren't very clear in your speech." she bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. "You were drunk, you see, and people who are drunk can't speak very clearly, and-"

"Alright, alright, stop right there before you get into another of your lectures." Flint snapped. "Are you telling me that you couldn't make sense of what I was saying? So there's nothing that I might have told you?"

Inside Elle's mind an internal battle raged. If she told him what she had heard perhaps that might be a start to her offering him help. Then again he might fly into such a rage that he would refuse any help. How strange was it that he was cornering her in this manner, as anxious as if she had witnessed him murdering someone. Was he so afraid to betray any weakness, even in something he had never been expected to be good at? She toyed for a moment with the idea of telling him what she had heard, and then agreeing to be silent on the condition that he take her to the Ball. Then she vetoed it immediately. Blackmailing was simply not her style, and besides it would take all the sweetness out of her success, assuming she achieved it eventually.

"Gringoirre, I – am – asking – you – a – question." Flint said, gritting his teeth.

"No." she said decisively.

"No what?" Flint growled.

"No, I did not hear you say anything." she said calmly.

Flint looked at her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

She forced herself to look back at him. "Perfectly sure."

He only continued to look dubious.

"Look, Flint." she said. "You were shouting so loudly and in such a jumble of words that I couldn't even make out what you were trying to say. Plus I was too busy searching for my wand to bother trying to figure it out."

"Why were you searching for your wand?" he asked, with more confusion than anger. The volume of his voice had also dropped noticeably.

"Because I was afraid you would turn violent, being drunk and all." she said simply.

He stared at her. Perhaps it was the matter-of-fact way in which she had said it, or perhaps it was the amusing idea that she had actually feared him turning violent towards her, but he couldn't help but grin.

Elle stared at him in astonishment. Was Marcus Flint – actually smiling?

"Gringoirre–" he began, but had to pause to hold back his smile. "Stop being nonsensical. Whatever you may think of us Slytherins, even I wouldn't hurt a girl. It's stupid and cowardly." Then, afraid that that might make him sound too – _nice_, he thought with a grimace – he forced his usual snarl back on. "Besides, you're not worth my time." he finished with a sneer. To his surprise, though, she did not seem to register the insult.

"Well, you usually have no qualms beating me up on the pitch." she said, her brow creasing as if trying to reason something out in her mind. "And that's when you're sober. So I guess logically, you'd be more likely to be violent in an-"

Flint almost tore his hair out in frustration. "Do you _have _to turn everything into an exam question?" Even for someone as dense as him, he could tell that she wasn't being sarcastic. She actually meant what she said.

"What?" she asked, looking at him blankly.

"I didn't _mean _for you to respond to that, you ridiculous thing, and there you go reasoning out the whole thing in your mind…" he stopped short. That wasn't even the point of their discussion. He glared at her. "Alright, stop distracting me. I brought you here to ask you one thing, and that is–"

"I wasn't distracting you." she protested, but fell silent at the look on his face.

"Look." he growled. "I just want to know one thing – did you or did you not hear anything I said last night?"

"Not a thing." she said emphatically.

He continued to look at her suspiciously, turning this over in his mind. He had never thought to question the other Slytherins about whether they heard him say anything each time he got drunk, because there was nothing he had to say which he did not want them hearing anyway. So he had no idea at all if he was in-inte – what was that word again? Whatever it was, he had no idea if people could make out what he was saying when he was drunk.

Seeing her chance, Elle decided to take a risk. "What is it that you're so afraid of me hearing anyway?" she ventured.

Flint looked at her at once, the suspicious glare back in his eyes. "So you did hear something!" he growled.

"I didn't say that." Elle said evasively. Why was it so hard to handle him? He was often dense, but apparently could be pretty smart when he wanted to.

"Now look here–" Flint stepped forward, reaching out to grab her robes, when suddenly a sharp voice cut in.

"Mr Flint, what on earth do you think you're doing?"

Both Flint and Elle turned to see Professor McGonagall striding towards them. Flint's arm dropped immediately from its position in mid-air. "Nothing." he said stiffly. "Professor." he added as an afterthought.

"I have had enough of your house causing trouble with the other houses, Mr Flint." Professor McGonagall said swiftly. "And believe me, you do not want to get into any further trouble. Your record thus far is too abysmal to afford any further damage, do you understand me?"

Elle noticed from the corner of her eye that Flint's fists curled within his robes. "Yes, professor." he said tensely.

"Good." Professor McGonagall said smoothly. "Now, I hope you're sufficiently prepared for the test later?"

_Test? What test? _Elle looked from McGonagall to Flint in some confusion.

"Yes." Flint said, in a tone which suggested that he was using every inch of self-control to stop himself from shouting. Professor McGonagall, however, seemed to either not notice that or chose not to. She nodded shortly.

"I shall see you at lunch then." she said, and swept off without another word.

Both Flint and Elle stood exactly where they were until the hem of her black robes had disappeared around the corner. Elle wasn't very sure why she was still hanging around, but a small voice told her it was because she still very much wanted to speak to him. But before she could even think of what to say, Flint spoke first.

"It's a goddamn bloody test which I have to pass or the bloody school won't let me sit my NEWTs." he burst out. "It looks bad on their record, with a student failing two years in a row."

She looked at him, shocked that he had volunteered that information of his own accord.

He turned to look at her as well. "That's because I knew you were going to ask me what it's about." he snapped. "And I haven't got time to deal with your questions. I'm already up to my eyebrows worrying about how the hell I'm supposed to perform those ruddy complicated spells with that old witch watching me with those beady eyes of hers." Then he made to turn and leave.

"Wait – good luck." Elle blurted out. She knew that he wouldn't give her any time to ask further, so she said without any delay what she thought was most important.

Flint turned. "It's going to take a hell of a lot more than luck, Gringoirre." he muttered.

* * *

"I'm really wondering if we should try finding her." Katie said as she and Cho walked across the lawn towards the greenhouses.

"Nah." Cho said. "Perhaps she's making lots of headway. It'd be a shame to interrupt her."

"Well, you know her best." Katie said, though she still sounded a little dubious. Then something caught her eye to distract her from all thoughts of Elle. Miles Bletchley and Terence Higgs were strolling casually down the slope some distance from her. Quickly, she nudged Cho.

"What? I mean, it could happen. All that talking has got to-"

"No, no, look!" Katie grabbed Cho's arm and steered her round to face the two Slytherins.

Cho froze for a second. "Oh." Then she looked at Katie again, slightly alarmed. "Do you think they overheard us?"

"No." said Katie, although she had not given a thought to Cho's concern. Actually she was dying to talk to Bletchley, and felt like she couldn't wait till night. She also felt like she should confirm their 'date' for that night, because knowing Bletchley, he might have simply decided that he was now good enough at Keeping and no longer needed her help. She wouldn't put it past him to drop her without so much as informing her either. And she would _not _allow herself to be demoted to the rank of just another one of his groupies, not when she was making good progress. Fixing Cho with as serious a look as she could muster, she said, "I think you should go talk to Terence. You know he likes you, that's a start. Nothing's going to happen if you just let him continue to ignore you."

"Well, so what if nothing happens, really?" Cho asked moodily.

"Cho!" Katie exclaimed. "Did we or did we not make a promise to one another?"

Cho looked at Katie with some surprise. She had almost forgotten about their plan. For a moment, listening to Katie, she had felt as if she was nursing an honest-to-goodness crush on Terence Higgs. Which she _wasn't_, of course, she reminded herself hastily. It was all to get back at Roger. Which reminded her…

"You're right." Cho said, nodding decisively. "I mean, I've already spiked his drink, how the hell can I possibly be scared of doing anything else, right?" She looked at Katie for agreement, was given an eager nod in reply, then strode towards Terence Higgs before she could change her mind. Gleefully Katie followed, mentally rehearsing what she wanted to say to Bletchley.

When she was face to face with him though, as always, she promptly forgot what she had been planning to say. She was vaguely aware of Cho's "How's it going Terence?" and of Higgs' sputtered reply, but for the most part she was wondering how on earth it was possible that Miles Bletchley could still have such an effect on her despite their spending the last five nights together. Her infatuation with him had miraculously increased tenfold over the last week, and the thought of Lee Jordan was now comfortably like an old wound; hurting only when prodded. Looking at Bletchley's handsome, arrogant profile as he smirked at Terence panicking under Cho's conversation, Katie suddenly thought how absolutely crazy it would be if she, while trying to get revenge against Lee, had actually fallen for Bletchley.

At this point, Bletchley, apparently having bored of enjoying Terence's predicament, turned to Katie. "So are you here simply as an innocent bystander or to stare at me?" he asked, smirking and stretching his arms as if everything before him merely amused him mildly and that he was now bored of it all.

Katie forced herself not to swoon at the sight of his arm muscles moving beneath his robes. She had to play his game. "A bit of both, Miles." she said sweetly. Then she lowered her voice slightly. "Still on for tonight?" She got the effect she wanted at once – Bletchley, frowning and looking rather alarmed, grabbed her arm and pulled her a safe distance away from Cho and Terence.

"Not so loud." he hissed. "If Higgs brings word back to Marcus that I'm practicing with a Gryffindor I'll be kicked off the team no matter how much my skills have improved since you started helping me."

"Which is a lot, right?" Katie asked playfully.

Bletchley looked at her severely. "I admit that you _are _pretty useful for a groupie, Bell, but don't you go getting above yourself. I can drop you any moment."

"For Merlin's sake, stop calling me a groupie." Katie said equally severely. "I'm a girl who actually really likes you, not like those blind hero-worshippers." Then she regretted saying that the very next moment. _Shit! _she thought wildly. Why on earth had she said that? She definitely wasn't planning to, she had wanted to keep up her image as his groupie to get into his good graces, so why had she said something so colossally stupid?

She was so shocked that she did not notice that Bletchley was looking just as, if not more, stunned as her.

* * *

Terence Higgs was having a very bad time of it. He had only ever confessed his feelings to a girl once in his entire life – to Penelope Clearwater last year. And it had not been a pleasant experience. For one thing, he had been rejected, and for another, it had been for Percy Weasley, that pompous, boring prefect. Penelope had been very nice about it, even promising never to tell anyone so that he could be spared the ridicule from other Slytherins, but nevertheless it made him quite certain that having romantic feelings for a girl was a very bad thing. The girl before him now was, like Penelope, another pretty Ravenclaw, which probably made things worse. The difference was that this girl was actually trying to _force _him to admit his feelings for her.

"I really don't know what you're talking about." he said nervously, adjusting his tie. He had been repeating variations of this for the last ten minutes, which he knew was a very poor excuse, and which Cho Chang was not accepting at all.

"Terence Higgs, I'm a Ravenclaw." Cho hissed. "And I was the one who bought that potion, and being completely literate, I could actually read the description on the bottle. What I'm trying to get at is that you can't fool me. I know very well that you like me-" she paused. "-as much as I like you." At once she felt a little guilty for saying that; she didn't think she liked Terence as much as he did her, but still, she liked him enough to have forgotten that this was all a revenge plan and yet still go on pursuing him. She wasn't completely lying, she decided.

Terence's face went bright red at once. "You can't be serious." he choked.

Looking at him, Cho thought curiously that he wasn't like a typical Slytherin at all. She was quite certain that if the other four girls had made a similar confession to their respective targets, the Slytherin boys would be shocked out of their skins. Terence, on the other hand, seemed more embarrassed than shocked, and he even seemed to be slightly hoping that she was telling the truth. Suddenly she felt as if she hadn't been lying at all when she told him she liked him.

"I'm serious, Terence." she said softly.

But before Terence could make any further reply, Bletchley had descended on him. "C'mon, let's go." he muttered, grabbing Terence's arm. Terence looked at him rather stupidly. "I said let's go!" Bletchley repeated, more forcefully. Cho noticed suddenly that he was looking rather pale. Terence came to abruptly, and without looking at Cho, followed Bletchley away.

Cho watched as the two boys hurried back up the slope towards the castle, before turning to look at Katie, who was standing some distance from her and doing the exact same thing. Wordlessly, Katie walked over to Cho. "C'mon, Herbology." she muttered.


End file.
